Seattle Times and Newsday sue OpenAI and Microsoft for infringement
The Seattle Times and Newsday sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, seeking destruction of datasets and models trained on their journalism.
The Seattle Times and Newsday allege OpenAI used their journalism as training data without permission and that its chatbots reproduce passages of their reporting, seeking destruction of copies of their works, training datasets, and AI models that incorporate them. Microsoft is named as co-defendant because Copilot is built on OpenAI technology. The suit follows similar actions by The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, Encyclopedia Britannica, and nearly 400 local newspapers.
- Suit seeks destruction of training datasets and AI models incorporating the plaintiffs' works.
- Joins similar lawsuits from The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and others.
- Publishers argue chatbot answers reduce site visits and cost subscription revenue.
- Nearly 400 local newspapers recently filed comparable suits against both companies.
Full article272 words · extracted from theverge.com · click to collapse
They want the AI models built on their works destroyed.
They want the AI models built on their works destroyed.
by Terrence O'Brien
Sep 6, 2026, 11:36 PM UTC
Terrence O'Brien
is the Verge’s weekend editor. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths.
The Seattle Times and Newsday are just the latest plaintiffs to take OpenAI to court, alleging copyright infringement. The two outlets say the company used their journalism as training data for its AI models without permission and often reproduces passages from their reporting in response to user queries. This is similar to lawsuits filed by The New York Times, Ziff Davis, Merriam-Webster, and Encyclopedia Britannica against OpenAI.
The Seattle Times and Newsday also named Microsoft as a defendant in the suit, since Copilot is built on OpenAI’s technology. The publishers join a list of nearly 400 local newspapers that recently sued the two companies, saying that because the chatbots reduce the need to visit their sites for reporting and answers, they cost them valuable subscription revenue.
As part of the suit, The Seattle Times and Newsday are seeking the destruction of any copies of their works the companies are holding, as well as training datasets and AI models that incorporate them. OpenAI and Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
- Terrence O'Brien
The Verge Daily
A free daily digest of the news that matters most.
Email (required)
Text extracted automatically; images, tables and formatting may be missing. Original: https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/990932/seattle-times-newsday-lawsuit-openai-microsoft