Encyclopaedia Britannica is suing OpenAI over "massive copyright infringement"
One of the most famous encyclopedia isn't holding back, and it's dragging Merriam-Webster along for the fight.
Encyclopaedia Britannica and its subsidiary Merriam-Webster have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in a Manhattan federal court, accusing the ChatGPT maker of ripping off nearly 100,000 articles, encyclopedia entries, and dictionary definitions to train its AI models (via Reuters)
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, claims OpenAI used Britannica's content without permission or compensation, and that ChatGPT has been producing near word-for-word copies of their work, effectively replacing the need for users to visit Britannica's own websites.: "ChatGPT deprives website operators like the plaintiffs of revenue by generating answers to user queries that replace the content of these operators and are in direct competition with them. To create these substitute products, the defendants mass-copy copyrighted content of the plaintiffs and other website operators without their permission or compensation."
In plain terms: why would anyone visit Britannica.com when ChatGPT can just serve up the same information? That's the core of the argument, and it's one we've seen from plenty of publishers at this point.
It's not just about copying
Britannica is also going after OpenAI under the Lanham Act, accusing ChatGPT of "generating fabricated content or 'hallucinations' and falsely attributing them to the plaintiffs."
The lawsuit goes further, claiming that ChatGPT "misleadingly omitting parts of the plaintiffs' content without disclosing these omissions, and displaying the incomplete and erroneous reproductions alongside the plaintiffs' well-known trademarks."
Britannica argues ChatGPT endangers "the public's continued access to high-quality and trustworthy online information." That's a bold claim, but given how many people now treat ChatGPT as their default search engine, it's hard to argue the concern isn't valid.
Britannica wants damages and an injunction
The encyclopedia giant is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction to stop the alleged trademark violations. Britannica reportedly filed a similar suit against AI startup Perplexity AI last year, which is still pending.
At this point, OpenAI's legal department must be working overtime. The company is already battling copyright suits from The New York Times, Ziff Davis (the parent company of outlets like PCMag and IGN), major Indian media organizations, and a coalition of Canadian news publishers.
Not everyone is choosing the courtroom route, though. Some publishers have opted to license their content instead. German media giant Axel Springer struck a seven-figure deal giving OpenAI access to content from outlets like BILD, Welt, and Politico.
But Britannica clearly isn't interested in making a deal. At least not yet.