# News outlets ask judge to ignore DOJ’s support for OpenAI in copyright case

Digest AI · Policy & Regulation · published 2026-09-27T23:00:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/news-outlets-ask-judge-to-ignore-dojs-support-for-openai-in-copyright

## Summary

The *New York Times*, *Seattle Times*, and *Newsday* filed a court response this week urging Judge Sidney H. Stein to give little weight to the Department of Justice’s recent backing of OpenAI in their copyright lawsuit. The DOJ’s September 1 *Statement of Interest* argued that training AI models on copyrighted works qualifies as fair use, framing it as transformative and in the public interest. The publishers dismissed the filing as a political statement, noting that *Statements of Interest*—unlike formal amicus briefs—carry no binding authority. Their rebuttal also questioned the timing, calling it an unusual mid-litigation intervention by the government in favor of a private company.

The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft scraped copyrighted articles without permission to train their AI systems. OpenAI maintains its practices fall under fair use, citing pattern-based learning rather than verbatim reproduction. The publishers counter that AI-generated summaries and responses compete directly with their content, harming the market value of original works. Judge Stein’s rulings could set precedent for how copyright law applies to AI training. As of late September 2026, no settlements have been reached in the consolidated cases.

## Key points

- News outlets filed a rebuttal asking Judge Stein to minimize the DOJ’s *Statement of Interest* in their copyright case against OpenAI
- DOJ argued AI model training on copyrighted works qualifies as fair use, but publishers call it a political move
- OpenAI claims fair use, publishers say AI-generated content undermines their market value

## Why it matters

A ruling on fair use for AI training could reshape copyright law and set precedents for how publishers, tech companies, and creators interact with AI models.

## Sources

1. [News outlets urge court to give little weight to DOJ support for OpenAI in copyright fight](https://cryptobriefing.com/news-outlets-dismiss-doj-openai-support) (cryptobriefing.com, 2026-09-27)

## Cite

Digest AI, "News outlets ask judge to ignore DOJ’s support for OpenAI in copyright case", 27 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/news-outlets-ask-judge-to-ignore-dojs-support-for-openai-in-copyright

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