US government backs OpenAI in New York Times copyright lawsuit

2026-09-03 | Source: Lobsters | Original article

The U.S. government filed an amicus brief supporting OpenAI, urging the court to reject claims that training large language models on copyrighted material violates copyright.

The United States has formally entered the New York Times‑OpenAI lawsuit, filing a brief that urges the court to reject any claim that training large language models on copyrighted material violates copyright law. The government’s position, outlined in the filing, stresses that allowing such a ruling would hinder scientific progress and pose national‑security risks, arguing that unrestricted access to text is essential for the United States to remain a leader in AI research. The case stems from the 2023 lawsuit filed by the New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft, which alleges that millions of the newspaper’s articles were used without permission to train the models behind ChatGPT and that the systems can reproduce protected content. The newspaper’s spokesperson has framed the administration’s stance as a defense of “trillion‑dollar AI companies at the expense of countless American creators,” underscoring the cultural and economic stakes. As we reported on September 3, the Justice Department had already sided with OpenAI in the same dispute. The latest brief expands that support, positioning the entire federal government behind the argument that fair‑use training is lawful and vital for innovation. The next steps will hinge on the district court’s ruling, which could set a precedent for how copyrighted works are used in AI training across the industry. Watch for appellate activity, potential congressional hearings on AI‑related copyright reform, and reactions from creator groups who may push for legislative safeguards if the court leans toward the newspaper’s position.

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