Steven Lieberman Quoted in Law360 Article on Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Filed by Rothwell Figg on Behalf of Eight Local Newspapers Against OpenAI and Microsoft 

Partner Steven Lieberman is quoted in a Law360 article titled "Microsoft, OpenAI Call Papers' Suit A 'Copycat' Of NYT's Case" by Ivan Morena on June 12, 2024. 

In April 2024, on behalf of eight local newspapers from across the United States owned by MediaNews Group and Tribune Publishing - the Denver Post, The Mercury News, The Orange County Register, The St. Paul Pioneer Press, The Chicago Tribune, The Orlando Sentinel, The Sun Sentinel, and The New York Daily News - Rothwell Figg filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft alleging copyright infringement by their generative AI (GAI) products. The complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that “Microsoft and OpenAI simply take the work product of reporters, journalists, editorial writers, editors and others who contribute to the work of local newspapers – all without any regard for the efforts, much less the legal rights, of those who create and publish the news on which local communities rely.”  

On June 11, 2024, both Microsoft and OpenAI filed motions to dismiss some of the asserted claims, and called the case a "copycat" of the case filed by The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft, also filed by Rothwell Figg.

In a statement to Law360, Steven noted "that the motions from OpenAI and Microsoft are meritless."

"It's also noteworthy that neither OpenAI nor Microsoft has challenged the copyright claims that are at the core of the case," Steven told Law360. 

The Rothwell Figg team representing the eight newspapers includes Steven, Jennifer Maisel, Robert Parker, Jenny Colgate, Kristen Logan, Bryan Thompson, and Jeffrey Lindenbaum. 

You can access the full Law360 article, "Microsoft, OpenAI Call Papers' Suit A 'Copycat' Of NYT's Case," on the Law360 website or by clicking on the article title below. Also linked below is the case complaint.