One of India's largest news agencies, Asian News International (ANI), recently filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the Delhi High Court, accusing it of illegally using the agency's content to train AI models and generate false information. This case is considered to potentially set a new legal standard for global AI companies in handling copyright news content.
During the court hearing on Tuesday, Judge Amit Bansal issued a summons to OpenAI, which had previously confirmed that ChatGPT did not access ANI's website. The court stated that due to the complex issues involved in the case, it would not consider issuing an injunction at this time and would require a detailed hearing. The next court session is scheduled for next year.
An OpenAI spokesperson told Tech Crunch: "We place great importance on collaborating with news organizations during our product and design processes. We are actively engaging in constructive partnerships with multiple news agencies around the world, including those in India, to explore opportunities, listen to feedback, and work together."
This lawsuit is part of a growing pressure on AI companies worldwide regarding the use of copyrighted materials. OpenAI currently faces over ten similar lawsuits in the United States, as well as two and one lawsuits in Canada and Germany, respectively.
OpenAI's lawyer Amit Sibal defended the company, stating that copyright law does not protect facts and noted that ChatGPT allows websites to opt-out of data collection. He also mentioned that OpenAI does not have servers in India, thus arguing that the case lacks jurisdiction.
However, ANI's lawyer Sidhant Kumar countered that public availability does not mean content can be used freely. ANI expressed concerns, particularly regarding ChatGPT attributing false information to the agency during fabricated interviews, including a non-existent dialogue with Rahul Gandhi, a political opponent of the current party.
In its complaint, ANI pointed out that this phenomenon of "hallucination" poses a real threat to its reputation and emphasized that the spread of fake news could lead to public disorder. The court plans to appoint an independent expert to consult on the copyright implications of using publicly available content in AI models. The judge will further examine the technical details of how news content is disseminated across multiple platforms in future hearings.
Key Points:
📄 **ANI sues OpenAI, accusing it of illegally using copyrighted content.**
⚖️ **The court decides not to issue an injunction immediately, requiring detailed hearings.**
📰 **OpenAI faces multiple similar lawsuits globally, with legal issues needing resolution.**