Chicago Tribune Sues Perplexity for Copyright Infringement
The Chicago Tribune has filed a significant copyright infringement lawsuit against the AI search engine Perplexity, claiming unauthorized use of its content. This legal action, lodged in federal court in New York, raises crucial questions about the intersection of journalism and artificial intelligence.
Allegations of Content Misuse
The lawsuit outlines that the Tribune’s legal team reached out to Perplexity in mid-October to inquire about the use of its content. According to the complaint, while Perplexity’s lawyers asserted they did not train their models using the Tribune’s material, the lawsuit claims that the AI engine might be providing “non-verbatim factual summaries” that still infringe on the Tribune’s copyrighted work.
Claims of Verbatim Content Delivery
Tribune lawyers contend that Perplexity is delivering excerpts of their articles verbatim, bypassing legal protections. The complaint specifically highlights the use of the retrieval augmented generation (RAG) technique by Perplexity, arguing that this method, which should theoretically rely on verified data sources, is instead drawing from Tribune material without consent.
Paywall Bypass Allegations
Additionally, the lawsuit accuses Perplexity’s Comet browser of circumventing the Tribune’s paywall, which is designed to protect their content. This tactic allegedly allows Perplexity to provide detailed summaries of Tribune articles, further intensifying the accusations of copyright infringement.
Broader Context of Legal Battles
This lawsuit is not an isolated case; the Chicago Tribune is one of 17 news organizations that previously sued OpenAI and Microsoft over similar issues in April. Another nine of these publications pursued legal action against these entities in November as well. The ongoing legal actions signal a growing trend among content creators seeking protection against AI models that may leverage their work without permission.
Future of Copyright in AI
While various creators have initiated multiple lawsuits regarding the use of their work for model training, it’s uncertain how courts will address the legal responsibilities associated with retrieval augmented generation techniques. As technology continues to evolve, so too will the legal landscape surrounding copyright in the digital age.
Conclusion
The Chicago Tribune’s lawsuit against Perplexity underscores the urgent need for clarity around copyright regulations and AI content usage. As these legal battles unfold, they will shape the future of digital journalism and AI technology.
Related Keywords
- AI copyright infringement
- Chicago Tribune lawsuit
- content protection
- AI search engines
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- retrieval augmented generation
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