Seattle Times and Newsday are the latest publications to sue OpenAI and Microsoft

In Brief Posted: 3:49 PM PDT · September 5, 2026 Image Credits: vectortatu (opens in a new window) / Getty Images Anthony Ha Seattle Times and Newsday are the latest publications to sue OpenAI and Microsoft Two more news organizations are suing OpenAI and Microsoft over the supposed use of their journalism to train AI. A lawsuit filed by The Seattle Times and Newsday argued that with the advent of AI, the journalism industry could become “broken beyond repair.” The lawsuit described generative AI as “a snake eating its own tail” that could “destroy the very organizations” that produce the content it’s trained on. “AI products like ChatGPT and CoPilot are touted as producers of content, but in fact they are rapacious consumers, devouring human-authored content and delivering back to the world copies and derivative imitations of that same original content they consumed to achieve their commercial objectives,” the lawsuit said. Back in 2023, The New York Times sued OpenAI and its partner/investor Microsoft over alleged copyright infringement; other publications have followed suit as the case continued. The Seattle Times’ lawsuit is particularly notable because Microsoft and OpenAI have funded some of the organization’s journalism projects and fellowships. A Microsoft spokesperson told GeekWire that the company is “surprised by the lawsuit” but is “always happy to sit down and explore solutions to this type of dispute.” Topics AI , Media & Entertainment , Microsoft , Newsday , OpenAI October 13 – 15 San Francisco Don’t miss out . The startup community will gather to answer a pivotal question: How do you build sustainably in the AI era? REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . Related AI OpenAI confirms ‘wiki incident,’ says it’s ‘working on a framework’ for more disclosure Anthony Ha 5 hours ago Apps Clucky’s new alarm app wakes you up with a crowing rooster Lauren Forristal 6 hours ago Hardware Oura is going public, but these smart ring companies are coming for its crown Aisha Malik 8 hours ago Latest in AI In Brief Seattle Times and Newsday are the latest publications to sue OpenAI and Microsoft Anthony Ha 12 seconds ago In Brief Hikers rescued after using Google Gemini for planning Anthony Ha 3 hours ago AI OpenAI confirms ‘wiki incident,’ says it’s ‘working on a framework’ for more disclosure Anthony Ha 5 hours ago