Non-Fiction Authors Sue OpenAI and Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

OpenAI and Microsoft are facing a lawsuit from a group of non-fiction authors, led by Julian Sancton, for allegedly using their books and academic journals without permission to train their generative AI technology. The authors claim that OpenAI and Microsoft have built a lucrative business by exploiting copyrighted material without compensating the creators. Sancton, who authored “Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey Into the Dark Antarctic,” spent years and a substantial amount of money on research and writing, citing the Copyright Act, which grants authors exclusive rights to their works. This lawsuit is just the latest in a series of complaints against OpenAI for using copyrighted material to train its technology, with other prominent figures such as Michael Chabon, George R.R. Martin, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, and Sarah Silverman also filing similar lawsuits. Sancton is seeking damages and injunctive relief for all the proposed class action’s defendants.