Hollywood's major players are lending their support to The New York Times's significant copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and its partner Microsoft. The talent agency WME filed an amicus brief in the case, joining similar filings from CAA, the Human Consent Fund, and the SAG-AFTRA and WGA unions.
WME's filing asserts that OpenAI's position—that it can freely use any material to train its AI systems under fair use—lacks legal merit. The agency points out that a market for licensing content and intellectual property already exists, citing OpenAI's own licensing deals with entities like News Corp and Disney.
The New York Times initially filed its lawsuit in 2023, alleging that OpenAI and Microsoft infringed on its copyrights by using the Times's journalistic content to train ChatGPT without proper compensation. The Times sought summary judgment in September, with reply briefs due soon. A judge will either rule on the matter or send the case to trial, potentially making it a landmark legal battle in the media industry.
This legal action follows other high-profile disputes involving OpenAI. Ari Emanuel, CEO of WME and a known associate of Elon Musk, previously appeared in court to support Musk's unsuccessful lawsuit against OpenAI chief Sam Altman. WME has been actively involved in AI regulation efforts, advocating for legislation like the NO FAKES Act and publicly opposing OpenAI's generative video model, Sora.