started · updated
U.S. Department of Justice supports OpenAI in copyright dispute
The U.S. Department of Justice has formally intervened in the copyright infringement lawsuit filed by The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft. In a statement of interest filed in Manhattan federal court, the DOJ supports the position that training large language models (LLMs) on copyrighted material constitutes 'fair use' because the process is 'extraordinarily transformative.'
The administration argues that the ability to train AI on vast datasets is a matter of national interest, directly linked to U.S. technological leadership, economic prosperity, and national security. Officials warned that overly restrictive copyright interpretations could grant a competitive advantage to foreign adversaries and stifle scientific and creative progress.
Furthermore, the DOJ cautioned against mandatory licensing regimes, suggesting that such requirements could create significant barriers to entry, favoring large, wealthy tech corporations while marginalizing smaller developers.
The New York Times has strongly rejected this stance, accusing the government of prioritizing the interests of trillion-dollar AI firms over the rights and financial survival of individual creators and journalists.
Entities
Department of Justice · Donald Trump · Microsoft · OpenAI · The Intercept · The New York Times · Trump administration · U.S. Department of Justice
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Requiring payment for training materials would disproportionately benefit legacy media outlets. www.billboard.com
- [● 25 SOURCES] The Department of Justice argues that training AI models on copyrighted material constitutes fair use. theintercept.com · www.billboard.com · www.hollywoodreporter.com · thegardenmagazine.com · ipaddisti.it · +20 more
- [● 21 SOURCES] Restricting AI training access could hamper scientific progress and harm American economic prosperity. theintercept.com · www.billboard.com · thegardenmagazine.com · cryptobriefing.com · www.troyrecord.com · +16 more
- [● 18 SOURCES] Limiting AI development poses a national security risk by giving a competitive advantage to foreign adversaries. www.hollywoodreporter.com · thegardenmagazine.com · cryptobriefing.com · www.troyrecord.com · gizmodo.com · +13 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] The New York Times claims the administration is siding with AI companies at the expense of creators. www.hollywoodreporter.com · thegardenmagazine.com · www.troyrecord.com · www.cnet.com · influencermagazine.uk · +3 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Intercept argues the DOJ position threatens the financial survival of media outlets. theintercept.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The DOJ argues that legal responsibility for AI outputs should be considered separately from the legality of the training process. gizmodo.com · ipaddisti.it · the-decoder.de
- [● 2 SOURCES] Mandatory licensing could create huge hurdles to entry and benefit large tech firms. biz.heraldcorp.com · www.cryptopolitan.com
- [● 17 SOURCES] The US Department of Justice has formally intervened in the copyright dispute between OpenAI and The New York Times. espiganoticias.net · www.chiccheinformatiche.com · influencermagazine.uk · thegardenmagazine.com · coinacademy.fr · +12 more