Prominent Authors Sue OpenAI Over Copyright Infringement in AI Training
The Authors Guild and 17 famous fiction writers file a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI for using their copyrighted books to train GPT models without permission or compensation.
The Authors Guild and 17 prominent fiction writers file a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI in the Southern District of New York for copyright infringement. The legal action claims OpenAI uses copyrighted fiction books to train its GPT models without permission, compensation, or any choice given to the authors. Notable plaintiffs include George R.R. Martin, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and David Baldacci, who represent a broader class of fiction writers affected by this practice.
Legal counsel for the authors emphasizes that defendants could have trained their large language models using public domain works or by paying reasonable licensing fees. Instead, the unpermitted copying of these books creates a vastly different commercial product that threatens the overall role and livelihood of writers. The plaintiffs state they do not oppose the development of generative AI, but they insist that companies have no right to build these technologies by exploiting copyrighted material.
The Authors Guild organizes this lawsuit in response to the existential threat that generative AI poses to the writing profession. According to the Guild's latest income survey, the median full-time author income in 2022 sits just over $20,000, meaning unlicensed AI competition threatens to decimate an already financially vulnerable profession. An updated complaint also names Microsoft as a defendant in the ongoing legal battle.