Britannica, Merriam-Webster sue OpenAI for using their content
Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, saying the company used nearly 100,000 articles from Encyclopedia Britannica to train ChatGPT and that Merriam-Webster alleges unauthorized use of its dictionary entries.
The complaint says ChatGPT can produce near-verbatim copies of Britannica's entries and definitions, which could steer users away from Britannica's official site; Merriam-Webster also alleges unauthorized use of its dictionary material.
The lawsuit also says OpenAI made it look like they had permission to use this material, even though they didn't.
Britannica is asking for damages and wants the court
Britannica is asking for money as damages and wants the court to stop OpenAI from using their content in this way.
This case is just one of many copyright battles AI companies are facing in the US right now: it is one of many similar copyright lawsuits in the US.
It's also not the first time Britannica has gone after an AI company; they're currently suing Perplexity AI too.