Copyright issues in the AI industry are intensifying further. Nine newspapers under MediaNews Group have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, seeking over $10 billion in damages.
Lawsuit Overview
On Wednesday, November 26, 2025, nine regional newspapers filed suit against OpenAI and Microsoft in federal court.
Plaintiffs’ Claims
- OpenAI and Microsoft used copyrighted newspaper articles without permission for AI training
- “Hundreds of thousands” of copyrighted works were copied
- This constitutes mass copyright infringement
Damages Sought
- Over $10 billion (approximately ¥1.5 trillion) in damages
The 61st Lawsuit Against OpenAI
This lawsuit adds to the long list of copyright lawsuits facing OpenAI.
Lawsuit Count
| Target | Count |
|---|---|
| AI companies overall (US) | 61 |
| OpenAI | ~18 (most worldwide) |
| Microsoft | Multiple |
OpenAI faces overwhelmingly more copyright lawsuits than any other AI company.
Major Development Last Week
Prior to this lawsuit, there was an unfavorable development for OpenAI.
Loss of Attorney-Client Privilege
A New York court ordered OpenAI to disclose communications with in-house attorneys regarding the “Books1” and “Books2” datasets that were deleted in 2022.
These datasets allegedly contained books obtained from the online piracy library “LibGen.” Given that courts have twice ordered LibGen to shut down, this is a serious issue.
Other Major Lawsuits
OpenAI faces multiple copyright lawsuits:
Media-Related
- New York Times: One of the most high-profile cases
- Other newspapers: Multiple regional papers involved
- Canada: Lawsuit by Canadian publishers also proceeding
Creator-Related
- Prominent authors: Multiple writers claiming copyright infringement
- Cameo: Trademark lawsuit (regarding Sora’s “cameo” feature)
Others
- Elon Musk: Claims OpenAI betrayed its nonprofit mission
- Adam Raine lawsuit: Lawsuit regarding a 16-year-old’s suicide
Industry-Wide Impact
Structural Copyright Challenges
AI companies need to train models on massive amounts of text data, but much of that data is copyrighted. This fundamental contradiction is shaking the entire AI industry.
Limits of “Fair Use”
Many AI companies claim “fair use,” but whether courts will accept this argument remains unclear.
Shift to Licensing Models
Like the Warner Music and Suno settlement, some companies are trying to resolve issues through licensing agreements. A similar approach may be needed in the news industry.
OpenAI’s Response
OpenAI has consistently claimed that training AI models falls under fair use. However, the increasing number of lawsuits and recent court losses are calling this strategy into question.
CEO Sam Altman has expressed a positive attitude toward compensating creators, but concrete solutions have yet to emerge.
Summary
The lawsuit by nine newspapers once again demonstrates the severity of copyright issues in the AI industry:
- Increasing lawsuits: ~18 against OpenAI alone, 61 against AI companies overall
- Massive claims: Over $10 billion in damages
- Structural problem: Fundamental contradiction between AI training data and copyright
Balancing AI technology advancement with creator rights protection has become the most critical issue for the entire industry to resolve.