Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. and its subsidiary, Merriam‑Webster, Inc., recently filed a federal lawsuit in Manhattan, accusing artificial intelligence developer OpenAI of using their copyrighted content without permission to train its AI models, including ChatGPT.
The complaint claims OpenAI copied tens of thousands of encyclopedia entries and dictionary definitions, enabling its AI systems to generate responses that closely mirror the publishers’ material. Britannica and Merriam‑Webster allege that this has diverted users from their websites, reducing traffic, subscriptions, and advertising revenue.
“These acts constitute willful and deliberate infringement of our copyrighted content,” the complaint states. The plaintiffs further contend that AI outputs sometimes misattribute information to their brands or produce inaccurate material, risking harm to the publishers’ longstanding reputations for accuracy.
In addition to copyright claims, the lawsuit includes allegations under U.S. trademark law, asserting that OpenAI’s AI outputs sometimes attribute content to Britannica or Merriam‑Webster without authorisation. The publishers argue that this can mislead users and diminish trust in their authoritative reference works.
Britannica and Merriam‑Webster said in a joint statement that the case is about protecting intellectual property and ensuring that AI developers cannot freely appropriate high-quality, professionally edited content. “We are asking the court to affirm that large language models cannot use our material without permission and without consequence,” the statement said.
OpenAI responded by defending its training methods, asserting that its AI models rely on publicly available data and comply with fair use principles. A company spokesperson emphasised that generative AI transforms material rather than reproducing it verbatim, and that OpenAI seeks to balance innovation with respect for content creators.
Legal analysts say the case represents a significant escalation in copyright and trademark litigation involving AI. In recent years, several news organisations, authors, and media companies have filed lawsuits against AI developers over unauthorised use of proprietary texts in training datasets. Experts note that the combination of copyright and trademark claims in this case could broaden the scope of legal accountability for AI-generated outputs.
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and an injunction to prevent OpenAI from continuing to use Britannica and Merriam‑Webster content in training or outputs. The publishers argue that their professionally curated reference works cannot be replaced by AI-trained models that rely on unlicensed material, highlighting broader implications for the publishing and technology industries.
Industry observers say the outcome of the case could set a precedent for how AI systems are trained, what permissions are required, and how content creators are compensated for use of their intellectual property. The legal proceedings are expected to draw close attention from both technology companies and content owners worldwide, as the balance between AI innovation and intellectual property rights continues to be debated.
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