Recently, the Southern District Court of New York dismissed the copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Raw Story Media, Inc. and AlterNet Media, Inc. against OpenAI, citing a lack of standing to bring the case. This ruling marks a significant victory for OpenAI in the ongoing legal disputes between AI and copyright, and provides a reference for handling similar future cases.
Raw Story and AlterNet are two online news media outlets primarily focused on left-leaning content. They allege that OpenAI used their website articles for training ChatGPT and other models without authorization, and removed copyright management information (CMI) during the process. Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Section 1202(b), unauthorized removal or alteration of CMI is considered copyright infringement. The plaintiffs argue that OpenAI failed to retain this information in the generated content, thereby infringing upon their works.
However, Judge Colleen McMahon ruled that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate any specific actual harm caused by OpenAI's actions, which is a necessary requirement for litigation under Article III of the U.S. Constitution. The judge noted that with the continuous evolution of large language model interfaces, the ownership and traceability of content become more complex, and generative AI is unlikely to copy original articles verbatim. Therefore, the plaintiffs' claims appear more tenuous.
Additionally, the judge mentioned that generative AI creates content by synthesizing information rather than simple repetition. The plaintiffs did not provide sufficient evidence to prove that their specific works were directly infringed upon, causing identifiable harm.
This ruling has garnered widespread attention in the AI community, as it highlights the difficulties faced by the law in dealing with generative AI. Courts have inconsistent standards for applying DMCA Section 1202(b), with some requiring proof of identical infringement content to the original, while others allow for more flexible interpretations.
Raw Story's defeat is not only a victory for OpenAI but also provides a legal precedent for handling similar cases. As AI technology advances rapidly, how content creators can ensure their works are protected and receive reasonable compensation is an urgent issue to address.
Key Points:
📜 The plaintiffs failed to prove actual harm caused by OpenAI's actions, leading to the dismissal of the lawsuit.
🔍 The judge emphasized that the synthetic nature of generative AI content makes verbatim copying less likely.
⚖️ This ruling provides legal reference and insights for future disputes between AI and copyright.
