Canadian media companies sue OpenAI over copyright violations

Five major Canadian news outlets—Postmedia, the Globe and Mail, Torstar, the Canadian Press, and CBC/Radio-Canada—filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing it of breaching copyright laws by using their content to train its AI models, news outlets said yesterday.

The lawsuit, filed in Ontario Superior Court, alleges OpenAI scraped journalism for profit without permission or compensation, violating intellectual property rights. The plaintiffs seek damages and an injunction to stop the use of their material.

OpenAI claims its practices adhere to fair use principles, noting collaboration with publishers and offering opt-out mechanisms. However, similar lawsuits, including one from The New York Times, accuse OpenAI of threatening the financial viability of journalism.

While some media groups, like the Associated Press, have licensing agreements with OpenAI, tensions remain high as news outlets demand fairer terms for the use of their content.