Seattle Times and Newsday Join Legal Battle Against OpenAI and Microsoft
By Editor • September 5, 2026 • 1 min read
In a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict between traditional media and artificial intelligence, The Seattle Times and Newsday have launched a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. The publications contend that the rise of AI technologies threatens to irreparably damage the journalism industry.
The lawsuit characterizes generative AI as a destructive force, labeling it “a snake eating its own tail.” The plaintiffs argue that AI systems, such as ChatGPT and CoPilot, are not just tools for content generation but rather voracious consumers of existing journalism, using this content to produce derivative works that undermine the very creators of the original material.
This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed by The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft earlier in 2023, alleging copyright violations. Notably, The Seattle Times’ case is particularly striking given that Microsoft and OpenAI have previously supported some of its journalistic initiatives. A spokesperson for Microsoft expressed surprise at the lawsuit but indicated a willingness to engage in discussions to resolve the issues at hand.
Source: techcrunch.com
