Indian News Publishers File Suit Against ChatGPT’s OpenAI In Delhi High Court

Global and Indian book publishers have joined in, accusing the Microsoft-backed company of unfair practices;

Update: 2025-01-27 10:00 GMT
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Indian News Publishers File Suit Against ChatGPT’s OpenAI In Delhi High Court

Global and Indian book publishers have joined in, accusing the Microsoft-backed company of unfair practices

The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) and several Indian media outlets have filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against OpenAI alleging unauthorized use of copyrighted content by ChatGPT.

DNPA represents the digital arms of several mainstream TV and print organizations, including those owned by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Many of these outlets have a flourishing newspaper and television news business.

The Indian Express, The Hindustan Times, NDTV, Network18, Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, Zee News, India Today Group and The Hindu argued that OpenAl's actions harmed their profits.

Adani’s NDTV and Ambani’s Network18 apprised the court of wanting to join an ongoing lawsuit against the ChatGPT creator.

The 135-page case filing stated that OpenAI's conduct constituted a clear danger to the valuable copyrights of the DNPA members and other outlets.

Worldwide, courts are hearing claims by authors, news outlets and musicians who accuse technology firms of using their copyright work to train Al services. They have sought to delete the content used to train the chatbot.

However, OpenAI has repeatedly denied such allegations, saying its AI systems make fair use of publicly available data.

In India, news agency ANI was the first to drag OpenAI to the court, last year. The intervention by Indian outlets has added firepower to its lawsuit.

A hearing in ANI's case is scheduled for 27 January.

Responding to the ANI case, OpenAI had said that any order to delete training data would violate its US legal obligations. It added that Indian judges had no jurisdiction to hear a copyright case against the company as its servers were abroad.

Meanwhile, despite being a member of the DNPA, The Times of India is not a part of the legal challenge.

Recently, OpenAI signed deals with Time magazine, the Financial Times, Business Insider-owner Axel Springer, France's Le Monde and Spain's Prisa Media, to display the content.

The Indian publishers have submitted that OpenAI entered partnership agreements with media outlets abroad but did not have similar deals in India. They added, “Such conduct betrays an inexplicable defiance of the law.”

The publishers said OpenAI would become a profit-driven business benefiting from the creative works of the media industry. This would weaken the press and was not in the interest of a vibrant democracy.

With the desire to be ahead in the Al race, OpenAI kicked off an investment, consumer and corporate frenzy in generative Al after launching ChatGPT in 2022.

Its first India hires happened, when it tapped a former WhatsApp executive, Pragya Misra to handle public policy and partnerships, as, thanks to cheap mobile data prices, the country has millions of new online users.

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By: - Nilima Pathak

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