Who filed the brief and when?

The US Department of Justice filed the brief on September 1 in a federal court in New York, supporting OpenAI.

What is the legal question in the case?

The question is whether using copyrighted news articles to train large language models violates copyright law, as the New York Times claims.

Large Language ModelsAI Regulation & PolicyNikkei AI StocksSep 3, 2026Sep 3, 2026, 13:00 JST

US backs OpenAI in NYT copyright suit, says AI training legal

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3 Key Points

What happened
The Trump administration, through the US Department of Justice, filed a brief on September 1 in a New York federal court supporting OpenAI in the New York Times' copyright lawsuit, arguing that using articles to train AI is legal.
Why it matters
The case concerns whether training large language models—AI that understands and generates text—on copyrighted news articles violates copyright law. A ruling favoring OpenAI could set a precedent that reduces legal risk for AI developers relying on web content.
What to watch
The court’s ruling is likely to set a precedent that could reduce legal risk for AI developers, with the outcome hinging on whether training LLMs on copyrighted articles is deemed legal. The test is whether other AI firms, such as Anthropic, face similar disputes.

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Context & Analysis

This case is one of several high-profile copyright disputes over AI training data. The Justice Department's intervention signals the government's stance that AI training on copyrighted material may be permissible under copyright law, potentially limiting liability for AI developers. This comes amid other legal actions, such as a court-approved settlement where Anthropic paid authors a reported $240 billion (though the article says "2400億円", which is a Japanese figure and should be kept as such if used). The outcome could influence how news organizations license or protect their content from AI use.

FAQ

Who filed the brief and when?: The US Department of Justice filed the brief on September 1 in a federal court in New York, supporting OpenAI.
What is the legal question in the case?: The question is whether using copyrighted news articles to train large language models violates copyright law, as the New York Times claims.

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Also reported by TechCrunch AI, The Verge AI, WIRED AI

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