The case is unique as it focused on a specific provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that prohibits the removal of copyright management information to enable or conceal copyright infringement. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs hadn't demonstrated any actual adverse effects from the alleged DMCA violation. The ruling suggests that plaintiffs in AI copyright cases will need to prove not only that a generative model has reproduced some work in the past or may do so in the future, but that its current version is actively reproducing the work.
Key takeaways:
- A federal judge in New York dismissed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI brought by media outlets Raw Story and AlterNet, who claimed OpenAI violated copyright law by removing copyright management information from material used in its training datasets.
- The judge agreed with OpenAI's argument that the plaintiffs did not have standing to sue as they had not demonstrated a concrete harm to their businesses caused by the removal of the copyright management information.
- The lawsuit was unique as it focused on a provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that prohibits the removal of copyright management information to enable or conceal copyright infringement.
- The judge's ruling suggests that plaintiffs in AI copyright cases will need to demonstrate not only that a generative model has reproduced some work in the past or may do so in the future, but that its current version is actively reproducing the work.