OpenAI is seeking to prevent Indian media groups, including NDTV and Network18, from joining a copyright lawsuit against the company, arguing that it does not use their content to train ChatGPT.
The Microsoft-backed AI firm stated in a 31-page court filing that it is not obligated to enter partnership deals with Indian media companies to utilize publicly available content. The case originated from a lawsuit filed by Indian news agency ANI, which alleged that ChatGPT reproduces its content without permission.
Since then, several Indian media groups, including NDTV (owned by Gautam Adani), Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), have moved to join the proceedings, claiming OpenAI scrapes content from their websites.
OpenAI’s filing denies these claims, stating that it has not used the applicants’ or DNPA members’ content to train its models. The company has previously defended its practices, asserting that it builds AI models using publicly available data under fair use principles.
Globally, courts are handling copyright claims from authors, news organizations, and musicians, alleging that AI companies use their intellectual property without authorization or compensation. OpenAI has signed content agreements with publishers worldwide, but Indian media groups argue that the company has not pursued similar licensing deals in India.
In its latest filing, OpenAI clarified that its global partnerships do not involve licensing content for AI model training and that using publicly available material is permissible under Indian copyright law.
The legal developments follow OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s visit to India last week, where he met with India’s IT minister in New Delhi to discuss the country’s efforts to develop a low-cost AI ecosystem.
