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Canadian News Media Companies Sue OpenAI Over Copyright Breaches

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Five prominent Canadian news organizations—Torstar, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada—filed a legal claim against OpenAI, accusing the company of violating copyright laws and online terms of use. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI has been systematically scraping large volumes of content to train its generative AI models without obtaining permission or offering compensation.

This legal action is part of a broader wave of lawsuits targeting AI companies, including OpenAI, for alleged misuse of copyrighted materials. Authors, visual artists, music publishers, and other content creators have also raised concerns about the use of their work in AI training.

In their joint statement, the Canadian media companies emphasized the importance of journalism as a public good. “OpenAI using other companies’ journalism for their own commercial gain is not just unethical—it’s illegal,” the statement declared.

The lawsuit, filed in Ontario’s superior court of justice, demands financial damages and a permanent injunction to prevent OpenAI from using the plaintiffs’ content without explicit consent. “Rather than seek information legally, OpenAI has opted to misappropriate our intellectual property for its commercial purposes without any form of compensation,” the filing states.

OpenAI’s Response

OpenAI defended its practices, asserting that its models are trained on publicly available data and adhere to principles of fair use and international copyright standards. A spokesperson highlighted OpenAI’s ongoing collaboration with news publishers, including providing content attribution and opt-out mechanisms.

“We aim to ensure a fair approach for creators while offering tools for publishers to manage their content in ChatGPT search,” OpenAI stated.

Legal Context and Industry Trends

The Canadian lawsuit follows a Nov. 7 ruling in the United States where a New York federal judge dismissed a similar case against OpenAI involving articles from news outlets Raw Story and AlterNet.

Microsoft, OpenAI’s primary backer, was not mentioned in the Canadian legal filing. However, earlier this month, Elon Musk expanded his own lawsuit against OpenAI to include Microsoft, alleging anti-competitive practices in the generative AI sector.

The outcome of this case could have significant implications for how AI companies source and use content in model training, shaping the future relationship between technology firms and content creators.

 

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.

 

Officials Warn Against Relying on AI Chatbots for Voting Information Ahead of U.S. Presidential Election

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With just four days until the U.S. presidential election, government officials are urging voters to avoid relying on artificial intelligence chatbots for election-related information. The New York Attorney General’s office, led by Letitia James, issued a consumer alert on Friday, cautioning that AI-powered chatbots frequently provide incorrect voting information, which could mislead voters.

Testing conducted by the Attorney General’s office on multiple AI chatbots revealed that they often gave inaccurate responses to questions about voting processes, raising concerns that voters could lose their chance to vote if they follow misleading information. The alert emphasized the importance of using official sources to verify voting details as Election Day approaches, with the presidential race between Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris showing a tight competition.

The increase in generative AI use has amplified fears about election misinformation, with AI-generated content and deepfakes on the rise. Clarity, a machine learning firm, reported a 900% increase in deepfake content over the past year. U.S. intelligence officials warn that some of this content is created or funded by foreign actors, including Russia, in attempts to influence the election.

Experts are particularly wary of misinformation risks associated with generative AI, a technology that rapidly gained popularity after OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT in late 2022. Large language models (LLMs) are known to produce unreliable information, often “hallucinating” or inventing details about critical voting-related topics like polling locations and voting methods. Alexandra Reeve Givens, CEO of the Center for Democracy & Technology, cautioned, “Voters categorically should not look to AI chatbots for information about voting or the election.”

A study conducted by the Center for Democracy & Technology in July examined responses from major AI chatbots to 77 election-related questions, finding that more than one-third of the answers contained inaccuracies. Chatbots from companies like Mistral, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta were included in the study. In response, an Anthropic spokesperson stated, “For specific election and voting information, we direct users to authoritative sources,” emphasizing that their chatbot, Claude, does not provide real-time updates on election details.

OpenAI announced it will begin prompting users who ask ChatGPT about election results to consult reliable news outlets like the Associated Press and Reuters, or to contact local election boards for accurate information. In a recent report, OpenAI disclosed efforts to counter misinformation, disrupting over 20 deceptive networks attempting to misuse their models for disinformation, though none of the election-related activities managed to gain significant traction.

Meanwhile, state legislators are taking steps to counteract AI-based election disinformation. Voting Rights Lab reported that as of November 1, there are 129 bills across 43 states that aim to regulate the spread of AI-generated misinformation related to elections.