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Newslaundry
National
NL Team

Top Indian media houses set to join copyright lawsuit against OpenAI

Leading Indian media outlets, including digital news units of billionaires Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, are set to join proceedings against OpenAI, accusing the ChatGPT creator of using their copyrighted content without permission. 

Among those who have told a Delhi court that they wish to join an ongoing lawsuit are NDTV, owned by Adani, and Ambani’s Network18, alongside prominent outlets such as The Indian Express and Hindustan Times, a report by Reuters said.

The first case against ChatGPT in India was filed by news agency ANI, according to the news agency’s counsel. In its response to the ANI lawsuit, OpenAI had argued that Indian courts lack jurisdiction over copyright claims as the company’s servers are located abroad. It further stated that deleting training data, as requested, would breach its obligations under US law.

The Reuters report said that Indian publishers, represented by the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), have expressed concerns about unauthorised scraping and reproduction of their content by AI tools like ChatGPT. They argue that OpenAI’s actions pose a significant threat to their copyrights and disrupt the balance of power in the digital advertising ecosystem. These claims are part of a 135-page legal filing that alleges OpenAI has engaged in “wilful scraping” and content adaptation to benefit its AI services, it added.

The lawsuit also highlights broader concerns regarding the dominance of tech companies in prioritising content and monopolising advertising revenue. The DNPA represents roughly 20 companies, including major players such as the India Today Group, Zee News, and Dainik Bhaskar. However, The Times of India, another DNPA member, has not joined the legal challenge, though no reasons for its absence were provided in the filing.

India, with over 690 million smartphone users and a burgeoning digital economy fuelled by affordable data plans, has become a critical market for OpenAI.

In the United States, similar issues have arisen, with The New York Times suing OpenAI and Microsoft in late 2023 for the unauthorised use of its articles, Reuters added. 

Meanwhile, OpenAI has struck licensing deals with international media outlets, such as Le Monde, and Business Insider, but has yet to establish similar agreements in India.

The report also said that the Indian publishers contend that OpenAI's reluctance to enter into such partnerships in India demonstrates a disregard for local laws and undermines the nation’s media industry. They warn that OpenAI’s profit-driven model, built on the creative output of the press, risks weakening democratic values by compromising the financial sustainability of the media sector.

Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Bard AI have also faced lawsuits over the same issue.

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