Dispute over copyright and AI training reaches India
The global debate on artificial intelligence and copyright has also reached India. Currently, a lawsuit against OpenAI filed by the Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) is causing quite a stir.
What began as a single lawsuit has now developed into a larger media rights dispute: renowned publishing houses such as The Indian Express and Hindustan Times have joined the lawsuit to take joint action against OpenAI’s use of their content.
The allegations made by Asian News International
ANI accuses OpenAI of:
- journalistic articles, news reports, and exclusive content—some of which is subject to a fee—without consent for the training of AI models,
- as well as that ChatGPT had generated fictitious quotes and interviews that were falsely attributed to ANI.
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In the plaintiffs’ view, OpenAI is thereby infringing copyrights, gaining economic advantages, and at the same time damaging ANI’s journalistic reputation. Among other things, the plaintiffs are seeking a preliminary injunction to prohibit OpenAI from storing, reproducing, or publishing copyrighted content.
The position of OpenAI
OpenAI rejects all allegations and emphasizes:
- The company used only publicly available information.
- The Indian court has no jurisdiction, as OpenAI has neither servers nor a physical presence in India.
The company also stated that it had already blocked all ANI domains in October 2024 to prevent their content from being used in training data in the future. This position shows why OpenAI is rejecting the lawsuit against it.
Significance and outlook
The case is currently pending, with a decision by the High Court of Delhi still pending. No preliminary injunction has been issued to date. Nevertheless, the case is considered groundbreaking: this is the first time an Indian court has dealt with the question of the extent to which copyright-protected content may be used for training AI systems.
Conclusion
The ANI v. OpenAI case shows how challenging it has become to strike a balance between technological progress and the protection of intellectual property. The lawsuit against OpenAI raises the question of how media companies can effectively defend their journalistic services and rights while AI companies depend on access to large amounts of data for research and innovation.
The Delhi court’s decision could have a significant impact on the legal boundaries that will apply to the training of AI systems in the future, both in India and worldwide.
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