A group of prominent authors, including George R.R. Martin, known for the popular fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire (adapted into Game of Thrones), have initiated legal action against OpenAI, the organization responsible for ChatGPT.

These authors allege that OpenAI violated their copyrights when training ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM).

The lawsuit accuses OpenAI of unauthorized usage of their literary works, describing it as “systematic theft on a mass scale.”

The Authors Guild, representing the interests of these 17 writers, filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, adding to the mounting legal challenges OpenAI faces regarding its data collection and usage methods for ChatGPT.

In their complaint, the authors stated: “Defendants copied Plaintiffs’ works wholesale, without permission or consideration, and incorporated them into their ‘large language models’ (LLMs). These algorithms form the core of Defendants’ extensive commercial activities, built upon systematic infringement.”

The lawsuit demands that OpenAI cease using copyrighted works in LLMs without explicit authorization and seeks damages of up to $150,000 for each infringed work.The authors are also pursuing class action status for their lawsuit, aiming to represent others similarly affected by OpenAI’s actions.

Their requests include an injunction against copyright infringement, actual damages, additional profits attributable to infringement, and statutory damages as alternatives to actual damages and profits, at the plaintiffs’ discretion before final judgment.

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