Ziff Davis sues OpenAI in a bold move that could reshape how AI companies train their models. The media company accuses OpenAI of copying, storing, and using its content without permission.
The lawsuit, first reported by The New York Times, claims OpenAI created exact copies of articles from outlets like CNET, PCMag, IGN, and Everyday Health. Ziff Davis found hundreds of its full articles in a small portion of OpenAI’s WebText dataset.
Ziff Davis argues that it took steps to block data scraping, such as setting rules in its robots.txt file. However, it claims OpenAI ignored those instructions and removed copyright notices from the scraped content.
The company is now asking the court to stop OpenAI from using its material. It also wants OpenAI to destroy any models or datasets containing its content.
With over 45 media brands and 3,800 employees, Ziff Davis stands as one of the largest media companies to take legal action against an AI firm. The company publishes about 2 million new articles each year and attracts more than 292 million visitors monthly.
OpenAI responded through its spokesperson, Jason Deutrom. He said ChatGPT supports creativity, scientific progress, and daily productivity. He also stated that OpenAI trains its models on publicly available data and uses fair use principles to guide its practices.
Ziff Davis chose not to comment further.
This lawsuit adds to the growing legal pressure facing OpenAI. More publishers are challenging how AI models use copyrighted material. The outcome could influence how tech companies train AI and how media firms protect their work.
