The Delhi High Court has launched India’s first-ever legal case against OpenAI, following allegations from news agency ANI that its AI tool, ChatGPT, has committed copyright infringement.
Given the case’s complexity and its potential impact on copyright laws in the AI era, the court has appointed an amicus curiae (legal expert) to provide guidance.
OpenAI Asked to Respond, But No Interim Relief Granted
The court has issued a notice to OpenAI, requesting a formal response to ANI’s plea for temporary relief. However, Justice Amit Bansal refrained from granting an interim injunction, stating, “It’s a complex matter which requires deeper examination.”
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ANI’s legal representative, Advocate Sidhant Kumar, argued that OpenAI trained ChatGPT using copyrighted material from the agency.
He emphasized that certain ANI news articles are reserved exclusively for subscribers and are not intended for public access. Despite this, the AI allegedly generates responses that include these restricted materials.
Kumar also raised concerns about ChatGPT attributing false statements to ANI, leading to misinformation. “It hurts not just my private rights, but also spreads fake news and public disorder. There’s also a public angle to this,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, OpenAI’s counsel, Senior Advocate Amit Sibal, questioned the Delhi High Court’s jurisdiction. He argued that OpenAI operates globally, lacks a physical presence in India, and said, “The plaintiff has no cause of action against us in India.”
OpenAI Defends Its Practices
Sibal defended OpenAI by stating that ChatGPT does not store or reproduce specific copyrighted content. He explained that copyright law protects specific expressions rather than general facts or ideas, adding that news represents only a small fraction of the data used to train the AI.
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Furthermore, OpenAI has implemented measures allowing website owners to prevent their content from being accessed by the AI, as London Insider reported last week.
“We’ve been transparent and bona fide from the start,” Sibal said, highlighting that OpenAI’s disclaimers acknowledge the tool’s limitations and ongoing improvements.
The Court’s Focus and Next Steps
The court has taken particular interest in allegations regarding ChatGPT’s potential for spreading misinformation. While OpenAI’s legal team dismissed these concerns as rare, ANI contends that such inaccuracies erode public trust and redirect traffic away from the agency’s website.
Kumar questioned, “Why would anyone pay for a subscription when the data is freely available on ChatGPT?”