Thomson Reuters Wins First Major AI Copyright Case in the US
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Summary
US media and tech group Thomson Reuters has won a landmark case that has implications for AI copyright law.
It sued Ross Intelligence, a legal AI startup, for reproducing material from its Westlaw legal research service.
Delaware judge Stephanos Bibas ruled that Ross infringedThomson Reuters’ copyright, rejecting all of the AI firm’s defences.
Bibas also ruled that this use did not qualify as fair use, an exemption in copyright law that allows unprotected use of copyrighted material for purposes such as research and news reporting.
This is a significant setback for AI companies that scour the internet to learn and create content, and could lead to more lawsuits.
However, legal experts pointed out that the verdict could complicate fair use arguments in other cases.
