Book publishers in India, along with their international partners, have initiated a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI in New Delhi, a representative confirmed on Friday. This marks the latest addition to a growing number of global legal actions aimed at preventing the ChatGPT chatbot from utilizing proprietary content without permission.
Around the world, authors, news organizations, and musicians have brought forward claims against technology companies, alleging that their copyrighted materials are being used to train AI models. Many are seeking the removal of such content from AI training datasets.
The Federation of Indian Publishers, based in New Delhi, announced that it has filed a case with the Delhi High Court, which is currently considering a related lawsuit involving OpenAI.
This legal action represents the interests of federation members, which include notable publishers like Bloomsbury, Penguin Random House, Cambridge University Press, and Pan Macmillan, as well as Indian firms such as Rupa Publications and S.Chand and Co.
“We are requesting the court to halt OpenAI’s access to our copyrighted material,” stated Pranav Gupta, the federation’s general secretary, in an interview discussing the lawsuit tied to the summaries generated by the ChatGPT tool.
“If they are unwilling to engage in licensing with us, they should eliminate the datasets used for AI training and clarify how we will be compensated. This situation affects creativity,” Gupta remarked.
OpenAI has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the lawsuit, which was filed in December but has only recently come to light. The organization has consistently denied allegations of wrongdoing, asserting that its AI models make fair use of publicly available data.
The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked significant investment and corporate interest in generative AI. OpenAI is keen to maintain its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving AI landscape after securing $6.6 billion in funding last year.
The Indian publishers’ group aims to join a lawsuit filed by the Indian news agency ANI against OpenAI, which has been recognized as a major legal case in India surrounding this issue.
“These cases represent a pivotal moment and could shape the future legal framework for AI in India. The outcome here will test the balance between intellectual property protection and technological progress,” commented Siddharth Chandrashekhar, a lawyer based in Mumbai.
In response to the ANI lawsuit, OpenAI has stated through reports that any directive requiring the deletion of training data would violate its legal obligations in the U.S. and insists that Indian judges lack jurisdiction over a copyright case since OpenAI’s servers are located outside India.
The federation contends that OpenAI operates services in India, placing its activities under the purview of Indian law.
Reuters, which holds a 26% stake in ANI, clarified that it does not participate in ANI’s business operations or practices.
Last year, OpenAI made its first hire in India, onboarding former WhatsApp executive Pragya Misra to manage public policy and partnerships in a nation with a burgeoning online user base supported by affordable mobile data plans.
Concerns Regarding Book Summaries
On Friday, a Reuters reporter queried ChatGPT for information about the first volume of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, published by Bloomsbury. The AI provided a chapter-by-chapter summary alongside an outline of key events, including the story’s climax.
However, the AI refrain from sharing the actual text, stating, “I cannot provide the entire text of the book, as it is copyrighted material.”
In November, Penguin Random House announced a global initiative to include a notice on the copyright page of its titles, declaring that “no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training” AI technologies.
According to the Indian federation’s December filing, which was reviewed by Reuters, there is “credible evidence/information” indicating that OpenAI utilized the literary works of its members to train the ChatGPT service.
“This free tool produces book summaries and extracts, why would people then purchase books?” Gupta questioned, referring to the use of unlicensed online copies by AI chatbots. “This will affect our sales; all members are worried about this.”
The federation’s application has thus far only been brought before a registrar at a New Delhi court, which on January 10 requested OpenAI’s response. A hearing for the case is scheduled for January 28.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
