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Telus Moves to Fully Acquire Digital Unit to Boost AI Control

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Canadian telecom giant Telus announced Thursday its intention to acquire all outstanding shares of its digital services subsidiary, Telus Digital, aiming for greater control over its artificial intelligence capabilities. The offer values Telus Digital at approximately $946.8 million, with Telus proposing to buy the remaining shares at $3.40 each—a 15% premium over the subsidiary’s last closing price.

Currently, Telus owns about 57% of the digital unit directly and through other entities. The subsidiary’s U.S.-listed shares have declined over 24% this year, underperforming compared to Telus’s parent company stock, which has gained nearly 19%.

This acquisition bid highlights Telus’ strategic move to strengthen operational integration of Telus Digital, which supports businesses in adopting AI and developing data strategies amid a global push toward AI technology adoption. CEO Darren Entwistle emphasized that full ownership would accelerate AI capability enhancement and SaaS transformation across Telus’s operations.

In a related investment push, Telus revealed plans last month to invest over C$70 billion (US$51.4 billion) in expanding Canada’s network infrastructure over the next five years, including the launch of two new AI-focused data centers.

Barclays is advising Telus on the transaction.

Canadian News Companies Sue OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Violations

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Five Canadian news media organizations—Torstar, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada—filed a legal action against OpenAI on Friday, alleging the AI company unlawfully used their content to develop its products. This lawsuit adds to a growing wave of legal challenges against generative AI firms by creators and copyright holders worldwide.

In a joint statement, the news companies accused OpenAI of scraping substantial portions of their journalism without permission or compensation. “Journalism is in the public interest. OpenAI using other companies’ journalism for their own commercial gain is not. It’s illegal,” they declared.

Legal and Financial Demands

The plaintiffs filed an 84-page claim in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, seeking damages and a permanent injunction to prevent OpenAI from further use of their intellectual property. The statement argues that OpenAI has “brazenly misappropriated” the companies’ copyrighted materials for commercial purposes without obtaining legal authorization or offering payment.

“The News Media Companies have never received from OpenAI any form of consideration, including payment, in exchange for OpenAI’s use of their works,” the filing states.

OpenAI’s Response

OpenAI defended its practices, stating its models are trained on publicly available data under principles of fair use and international copyright law. A company spokesperson highlighted its collaborative efforts with publishers, including offering mechanisms for opting out and attributing content in ChatGPT’s search features.

The lawsuit does not name Microsoft, OpenAI’s primary backer, which has been implicated in similar cases. Notably, Elon Musk recently expanded a separate lawsuit to include Microsoft, alleging monopolistic practices and illegal data acquisition for generative AI development.

Broader Implications

This case represents a critical juncture in the ongoing clash between AI companies and copyright owners. Similar lawsuits have been filed by authors, visual artists, and music publishers seeking to establish clearer legal boundaries around data use for AI training.

Recently, a New York federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against OpenAI brought by news outlets Raw Story and AlterNet. This decision may influence the Canadian court’s ruling, though Canadian copyright laws differ in scope and interpretation.

The outcome of this case could set a significant precedent for how AI companies interact with content creators and may prompt broader regulatory discussions around intellectual property rights in the digital age.

 

Golden Ventures raises an additional $100M to support Canada’s tech ecosystem through investments

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Golden Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Canada, has successfully closed its fifth fund with over $100 million in capital commitments. The fund is aimed at supporting high-potential, seed-stage founders across various technologies, including AI, climate, blockchain, and quantum computing. Devamını Oku