USA Today seeks more than $250 million

USA Today Co. and several local newspapers it owns have filed suit against OpenAI, seeking damages of more than $250 million. The publisher’s filing, made on Thursday, alleges that OpenAI copied “hundreds of thousands” of articles to train its AI models. The claims were reported earlier by Reuters.

In the filing, USA Today Co. says OpenAI’s alleged unauthorized use of its content “has done real and continuing” harm to its outlets. The damages sought exceed $250 million, though the source article does not provide further detail about how the publisher arrived at that figure or how it has calculated the alleged harm.

The case places USA Today Co. and the local newspapers it owns among publishers pursuing legal action against OpenAI over its use of content. The lawsuit focuses on the alleged copying of articles for AI training and asks for compensation for the resulting harm, according to the filing.

Publisher alleges articles were copied for AI training

USA Today Co. and several local newspapers it owns allege that OpenAI copied “hundreds of thousands” of their articles to train its AI models. The claims were reported earlier by Reuters and are set out in a filing submitted on Thursday.

The publisher says the use was unauthorized and has caused “real and continuing” harm to its outlets. That allegation is central to its request for damages of more than $250 million. The filing links the alleged copying of the articles to the training of OpenAI’s models; it does not, in the source account, detail the specific ways the outlets have been harmed.

The lawsuit brings together USA Today Co. and local newspapers under its ownership in a copyright dispute over the use of their content. Its claims concern both the scale of the articles allegedly copied and the continuing impact the publisher says that use has had on its outlets.

The case adds to OpenAI's copyright litigation

The USA Today Co. lawsuit is the latest in a string of copyright cases filed against OpenAI over the use of publishers’ content. The company, together with several local newspapers it owns, alleges that OpenAI copied “hundreds of thousands” of articles to train its AI models without authorization.

Other legal actions include a copyright lawsuit brought by The New York Times. OpenAI is also facing claims from The Intercept, CNET owner Ziff Davis, CBC/Radio-Canada, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster and The Seattle Times.

A coalition of nearly 400 local newspapers has also sued the AI company, adding to the number of outlets pursuing copyright claims. USA Today Co. is seeking more than $250 million in damages, alleging that OpenAI’s unauthorized use of its content has caused “real and continuing” harm to its outlets. The new filing therefore joins a broader set of legal disputes over OpenAI’s use of news and other publishers’ material.

Other publishers and outlets have sued OpenAI

USA Today Co.’s lawsuit is the latest in a string of copyright cases against OpenAI. The New York Times has also filed a copyright lawsuit, and other parties taking legal action include The Intercept and Ziff Davis, the owner of CNET.

The list also includes CBC/Radio-Canada, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster and The Seattle Times. In addition, a coalition of nearly 400 local newspapers is suing OpenAI. Together, these cases show that the legal challenge extends beyond the outlets owned by USA Today Co. to publishers and other media organizations across the industry.