New York Times Has Spent $20M Fighting AI Copyright Claims Against OpenAI
The New York Times has spent more than $20 million pursuing its lawsuit over AI copyright infringement.
Why it matters: This case sets legal precedents on AI companies’ use of copyrighted materials, affecting in-house counsel and legal tech professionals handling IP and regulatory risks.
- The Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023 for using its articles without permission to train AI models.
- In November 2025, a court ordered OpenAI to provide 20 million user chat logs for copyright infringement investigations.
- In June 2026, The Times amended its complaint alleging Microsoft built a supercomputer to assist AI copyright infringement.
- The lawsuit claims billions in damages and has resulted in over $20 million spent by The Times on litigation to date.
In December 2023, The New York Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft. It alleges they used millions of copyrighted articles without permission to train AI models like ChatGPT and Copilot.
The case seeks billions in damages, highlighting the scale of the intellectual property claims as reported by Fortune. Since then, the litigation has been costly, with The Times spending over $20 million as of mid-2026 (Wired).
In November 2025, a court ordered OpenAI to turn over 20 million user chat logs. The Times used these chats to investigate whether OpenAI’s training illegally incorporated copyrighted text. OpenAI challenged the order, pointing to privacy concerns (Ars Technica).
In June 2026, The Times expanded its complaint against Microsoft, alleging it built a custom supercomputer to help OpenAI train AI models using copyrighted content. This accusation marks a new development in the case describing explicit corporate involvement in alleged infringements (Ars Technica).
The lawsuit challenges how AI companies access and use copyrighted material, impacting legal strategies for companies managing AI, intellectual property, and data privacy issues.
By the numbers:
- $20 million — The New York Times’ spending on the lawsuit as of mid-2026
- 20 million — User chat logs OpenAI was ordered to provide for copyright review
- Billions — Alleged damages claimed by The New York Times from OpenAI and Microsoft
Yes, but: OpenAI is contesting the court order to disclose user chat logs, citing privacy and data protection concerns relevant to ongoing litigation.
What's next: The Times may seek further amendments to its complaint as discovery continues; rulings on chat log disclosures could set wider legal precedents for AI data use.