Delhi High Court Issues Summons to OpenAI Over ANI Copyright Violation Allegations

In a landmark case, the Delhi High Court has issued summons to OpenAI after Asian News International (ANI) alleged copyright violations by its AI chatbot, ChatGPT. ANI claims that its copyrighted news content has been used without authorization to train the AI model, raising significant concerns over intellectual property rights in the AI era.

Justice Amit Bansal, hearing the case, noted OpenAI’s assurance that ANI's official website has already been blocked to prevent data collection. However, ANI highlighted practical challenges, as its syndicated content is widely reproduced by other platforms.

The lawsuit, ANI's first against OpenAI in India, also flagged instances of misinformation attributed to ANI by ChatGPT. Advocate Sidhant Kumar, representing ANI, argued that OpenAI cannot exploit publicly available content for commercial gain and emphasized the spread of false information as a critical concern.

OpenAI, represented by Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, countered that no copyright infringement occurs when training AI models, as facts themselves are not copyrightable. Sibal further argued that ANI has failed to provide concrete evidence of its content being reproduced verbatim.

The case highlights a broader global debate on AI’s use of copyrighted content. OpenAI faces 13 similar lawsuits in the U.S., alongside cases in Canada and Germany. The Delhi High Court has stated its intent to appoint an amicus curiae to address the complexities of this matter.

The case sets a precedent for AI and copyright law in India, as courts navigate uncharted legal territories on the ethical and legal boundaries of artificial intelligence.