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OpenAI battles publishers in Indian copyright case

The publishers allege that OpenAI’s ChatGPT service reproduces book summaries and extracts from unlicensed online copies, harming their business.

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OpenAI has urged an Indian court to dismiss a petition filed by a group representing Indian and global book publishers, who accuse the company of copyright violations. The publishers allege that OpenAI’s ChatGPT service reproduces book summaries and extracts from unlicensed online copies, harming their business. OpenAI, however, argues that its AI tool only disseminates publicly available information, according to legal documents reviewed by Reuters.  

The case, which began last year with a lawsuit by Indian news agency ANI, is set to be heard in New Delhi on Tuesday. It could significantly influence the legal framework governing artificial intelligence in India, OpenAI’s second-largest market by user base.  

In recent weeks, the case has gained momentum, with book publishers and nearly a dozen digital media outlets, including those owned by billionaires Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, joining the legal challenge against OpenAI. The Federation of Indian Publishers, representing domestic firms and global giants like Bloomsbury and Penguin Random House, claims that ChatGPT generates content derived from unlicensed online copies of books.  

OpenAI, in a 21-page court filing dated 26 January, countered these allegations, stating that its web-crawlers are designed to access only publicly available data. The company argued that the information used by ChatGPT is drawn from platforms like Wikipedia, as well as abstracts, summaries, and tables of contents made freely accessible on publishers’ websites.  

“The book publishers have entirely failed to demonstrate even a single instance that OpenAI services are trained on original literary work,” the filing stated. OpenAI maintains that its practices are protected under fair use principles, which allow limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as research and education.  

According to reports, Pranav Gupta, secretary of the Federation of Indian Publishers, said that most book-related content displayed by ChatGPT is scraped from websites with licensing agreements with publishers. He argued that this undermines their business model.  

OpenAI has also challenged the jurisdiction of Indian courts in the case, asserting that its servers are located outside India and, therefore, local judges lack authority to adjudicate the matter.  

This case is part of a growing global trend in which authors, news organisations, and musicians are accusing technology companies of using their copyrighted works to train AI services without permission or compensation. The outcome of the Indian case could set a precedent for how AI firms operate in one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing markets.  

 



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