The group is seeking significant damages and an injunction to prevent future use of their content by the AI company.
**Canadian Media Coalition Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Infringement**

**Canadian Media Coalition Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Infringement**
A coalition of major Canadian news organizations claims OpenAI unlawfully used their articles to train ChatGPT.
In a groundbreaking legal move, a coalition of Canada's prominent news outlets, including the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, and CBC, has launched a lawsuit against OpenAI. They allege that the artificial intelligence firm, known for its chatbot ChatGPT, has been illegally appropriating their articles to enhance its software. This lawsuit is reportedly unprecedented within Canada.
In a unified statement, the media outlets asserted, “Journalism is in the public interest. OpenAI using other companies’ journalism for their own commercial gain is not. It’s illegal.” OpenAI, however, maintains that its training methods are legitimate, stating that its models rely on "publicly available data" and adhere to fair use along with international copyright principles. The company claims to collaborate with news publishers for proper display and attribution of their articles within ChatGPT and provides options for content removal.
The lawsuit, detailed in an extensive 84-page document, accuses OpenAI of disregarding protections associated with paywalls and copyright disclaimers that safeguard against unauthorized content replication. It alleges that OpenAI consistently breaches copyright laws by scraping vast quantities of media content to develop products like ChatGPT.
The coalition of Canadian media outlets is pursuing punitive damages set at C$20,000 (approximately $14,300 or £11,000) for each article allegedly used without permission, which could culminate in billions of dollars in total claims. They are also demanding that OpenAI be compelled to disclose any profits gained from their content and are seeking a legal injunction to prevent further unauthorized use.
This lawsuit against OpenAI marks a first for Canadian publishers, echoing similar legal actions in the United States where publications like the New York Times have raised similar accusations. Earlier this year, the Times' legal representatives alleged that OpenAI had destroyed crucial evidence required for their case. In a separate instance, a coalition led by the Authors Guild, featuring prominent authors such as John Grisham, has also claimed copyright violations against OpenAI.
Earlier reports revealed that OpenAI has reached a valuation of approximately C$219 billion following a successful fundraising round from investors, highlighting the increasing tension between traditional news media and evolving technological entities.