Multiple media organizations, including The New York Times and The New York Daily News, filed a motion in federal court seeking legal penalties against OpenAI for allegedly withholding critical evidence in ongoing copyright lawsuits.
The publishers accused OpenAI of violating court procedures and acting in bad faith during discovery, claiming the company obstructed access to training data and output logs that could resolve the cases.
The Times initially sued OpenAI in 2023 for using its copyrighted content to train AI models like ChatGPT. Similar lawsuits followed from other publishers, many of which were later consolidated.
OpenAI’s refusal to share training data details and ChatGPT operational records is central to the motion. Plaintiffs argue the company’s actions undermine the courts’ ability to assess its fair use defense claims.
OpenAI denies wrongdoing, asserting compliance with content creators’ rights and stating ChatGPT does not replace traditional media subscriptions.
Legal experts note this sanctions filing is an escalation, compelling judges to mediate disputes directly between parties. The Times was the first major U.S. publisher to challenge OpenAI over copyright issues, with Microsoft also facing related allegations.
Despite OpenAI’s claims of transformative use of copyrighted material, publishers insist their evidence would demonstrate otherwise. The motion references a redacted deposition showing OpenAI could provide the requested data but chose not to.
Approximately 15 media entities joined the legal action, with attorneys like Steven Lieberman and Ian B. Crosby representing their interests. The filing seeks monetary penalties and other court-imposed sanctions, focusing solely on OpenAI’s conduct.