Asian News International, one of India's largest news agencies, faces OpenAI in a lawsuit that could set a precedent for how AI companies use copyrighted news content in the world's most populous country. sued.
Asian News International filed a 287-page lawsuit in the Delhi High Court on Monday, alleging that the AI company illegally used its content to train AI models and generate false information attributed to the news agency. he claimed. The lawsuit marks the first time that an Indian media organization has taken legal action against OpenAI over alleged copyright infringement.
During a hearing on Tuesday, Judge Amit Bansal issued the subpoena to OpenAI after OpenAI confirmed that the company had already confirmed that ChatGPT was not accessing ANI's website. The court said it would not grant the injunction on Tuesday because the case is a “complex matter” that requires a detailed hearing.
The next public hearing is scheduled to be held in January.
“We pay close attention to our products and design processes to support news organizations,” an OpenAI spokesperson told TechCrunch in a statement. “We are actively engaged in constructive partnerships and dialogue with a number of news organizations around the world, including in India, to explore opportunities, listen to feedback and work collaboratively.”
The lawsuit adds to the global pressure on AI companies over the use of copyrighted material. OpenAI currently faces more than a dozen similar lawsuits in the U.S., two in Canada and one in Germany, according to court filings.
OpenAI lawyer Amit Sibal defended the company's practices, arguing that copyright law does not protect the facts and that ChatGPT allows websites to opt out of data collection. The Microsoft-backed company has no servers in India and claims it lacks jurisdiction over the case, he added.
ANI's lawyer, Sidhant Kumar of law firm UNUM, countered that just because the content is made public does not mean it has the right to misuse the content. The agency expressed particular concern over ChatGPT's attribution of fabricated interviews by ANI, including non-existent conversations with Rahul Gandhi, who led the opposition party to the current ruling party.
ANI argued in its lawsuit that such “illusions” pose a real threat to the news agency's reputation and that the spread of fake news could lead to public disorder.
The court will appoint an independent expert to advise on the copyright implications of AI models using publicly available content. In a future hearing, the judge plans to explore further technical aspects of how news content is spread across multiple platforms.