Positive Signals Amidst Legal Dispute
OpenAI’s parent OpenAI is engaging in discussions to license content from multiple publishers as a response to a copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times Co. (NYSE:NYT).
A Promising Outlook
Tom Rubin, chief of intellectual property and content at OpenAI, expressed optimism about the ongoing negotiations with several publishers. He described the discussions as positive and forward-moving, emphasizing that deals have been announced with more on the horizon.
Recent Developments
OpenAI recently secured a multiyear licensing agreement with Axel Springer SE, the parent company of Politico, and The Associated Press. However, an obstacle arose as The New York Times and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) filed a lawsuit against OpenAI for utilizing their articles without permission, potentially disrupting OpenAI’s operations.
According to Rubin, the current scenario differs significantly from past encounters between publishers and search engines or social media platforms. He stressed that OpenAI uses content for model training and not to reproduce or replace it.
Contrastingly, The New York Times emphasized the legal requirement for commercial usage, asserting that permission must be obtained prior to use, which they claim has not been done by Microsoft and OpenAI.
Implications and Context
The ongoing negotiations hold significance in the wake of multiple lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. Notably, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and comedian Sarah Silverman have previously filed lawsuits, highlighting the persisting tension between tech giants and content creators regarding copyrighted material in AI development.