USA Today Sues OpenAI for Over $250M Over AI Training
USA Today Co. and several of its owned local newspapers have filed a major copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, seeking damages in excess of $250 million.
Radwan AbdulhadiEditor and technology writer
The Lawsuit and Allegations
USA Today Co., along with several local newspapers it owns, has officially filed a lawsuit against OpenAI. As detailed [as reported earlier by Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/legal/legalindustry/usa-today-sues-openai-copyright-infringement-over-ai-training-2026-10-08/), the publisher claims that the artificial intelligence company copied "hundreds of thousands" of articles without authorization in order to train its AI models.
The legal action emerged from [a filing on Thursday](https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28731453-usa-today-v-openai/), in which the publisher asks for damages exceeding $250 million. The filing argues that OpenAI's unauthorized use of proprietary content has caused real and continuing harm to its various news outlets.
According to the legal complaint, "OpenAI’s commercial success rests on large-scale copyright infringement." The publisher asserts that OpenAI never requested permission to utilize its material, choosing instead to take the content to construct products worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Outlets included in the lawsuit alongside USA Today include The Tennessean, Indy Star, The Columbus Dispatch, and The Oklahoman.
Broader Media Landscape and Legal Context
This latest complaint represents only one piece of a much larger wave of copyright litigation facing OpenAI from the media industry. The publisher's action arrives [addition to a copyright lawsuit filed by The New York Times](https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/27/24016212/new-york-times-openai-microsoft-lawsuit-copyright-infringement), which previously targeted both OpenAI and its technological partner Microsoft over similar copyright infringement concerns.
The roster of media organizations pursuing legal avenues against OpenAI continues to expand rapidly. Alongside these high-profile actions, OpenAI has faced continuous [legal action from The Intercept](https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/28/24085973/intercept-raw-story-alternet-openai-lawsuit-copyright) as well as numerous other prominent news and publishing entities worldwide.
Growing Industry-Wide Opposition
The pressure on artificial intelligence developers is not limited to standalone media outlets. Other notable entities taking legal steps include [CNET owner Ziff Davis](https://www.theverge.com/news/656044/ziff-davis-sues-openai-ign-cnet-pcmag), which filed its own claims regarding the unlicensed utilization of publisher content for model training data.
International and institutional organizations have likewise joined the fray. The list of entities confronting OpenAI over copyright spans across borders and sectors, featuring [CBC/Radio-Canada](https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/29/24308984/openai-sued-canadian-media-copyright-chatgpt) alongside educational and reference giants like [Encyclopaedia Britannica](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/895372/encyclopedia-britannica-openai-lawsuit).
Regional and Local Newspapers Take Action
Regional journalism has also organized heavily against large language model developers. Prominent regional publishers such as [The Seattle Times](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/990932/seattle-times-newsday-lawsuit-openai-microsoft) have initiated formal proceedings to protect their local reporting archives from being repurposed without compensation or explicit consent.
These individual actions are further complemented by broader collective efforts. Most notably, a coalition representing [nearly 400 local newspapers](https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/956543/nearly-400-local-newspapers-are-suing-openai-and-microsoft) has consolidated complaints against both OpenAI and Microsoft, highlighting the widespread nature of the copyright dispute within the journalism sector.
As these legal proceedings continue to develop across various courts, OpenAI has yet to issue a formal public response addressing the specific claims made in USA Today Co.'s newly filed lawsuit.
Sources
- The VergeUSA Today becomes the latest publisher to sue OpenAI
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