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Seven Canadian news organizations have sued OpenAI in Ontario, alleging that it used their journalism without authorization. They are seeking damages or disgorgement and a permanent injunction. Those are requests in the lawsuit—not compensation already awarded. An Ontario ruling allowed the case to proceed there, but did not decide whether OpenAI infringed copyright.
Who brought the Ontario case?
The statement of claim names seven plaintiffs: Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, Metroland Media Group Ltd., Postmedia Network Inc., PNI Maritimes LP, The Globe and Mail Inc., Canadian Press Enterprises Inc., and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada. The claim was electronically issued on November 28, 2024. Read the statement of claim.
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What are the publishers alleging and seeking?
The publishers allege that OpenAI copied and used their news works without authorization in developing or operating commercial AI products. Their pleading brings copyright and related claims and asks for damages and/or disgorgement, as well as a permanent injunction. These are the plaintiffs’ allegations and requested remedies; the claim itself does not establish wrongdoing or an amount owed.
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What has the Ontario court decided?
OpenAI challenged Ontario’s jurisdiction. The procedural result described in contemporaneous reporting and later legal commentary allowed the case to proceed in Ontario. That answers a question about where the claim may be heard, not whether the alleged conduct violated Canadian copyright law. See the procedural reporting; read the legal commentary.
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- Decided procedurally: the jurisdiction challenge did not stop the case from proceeding in Ontario.
- Not decided by that result: whether the alleged copying infringed copyright, whether a defense applies, or whether any remedy is warranted.
The sources available through September 30, 2026 do not establish a final merits ruling, a settlement, or compensation awarded in this case. It is therefore inaccurate to say the publishers won a copyright judgment or received a particular sum.
How have the publishers and OpenAI described the dispute?
The publishers’ joint statement, as reproduced by the Associated Press, said: “News media companies welcome technological innovations. However, all participants must follow the law, and any use of intellectual property must be on fair terms.” Read the AP report.
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OpenAI has said it supports journalism, works with news organizations, and gives publishers ways to control crawler access. In coverage of this Canadian lawsuit, OpenAI’s position was described as relying on publicly available data and fair-use and related copyright principles, alongside collaboration and opt-out controls. Those are the company’s stated positions; they do not settle the Canadian legal questions before the court. See the coverage of OpenAI’s position; read OpenAI’s January 2024 statement and related reporting.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsHow does this relate to Canada’s Online News Act and licensing?
The lawsuit is framed as a copyright dispute, not a claim decided by the Online News Act. The AP reported in November 2024 that the Act requires Google and Meta to compensate news publishers for use of news content on their platforms; whether that regime applies to AI systems had not been resolved in that reporting. The Act’s platform rules should not be treated as a ruling on the publishers’ claims against OpenAI. AP’s November 2024 report.
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Licensing is a separate route from litigation. The AP reported that the Associated Press and several international publishers had licensing arrangements with OpenAI. Those examples show that licensing exists in the wider industry; they do not establish that these seven Canadian plaintiffs reached the same arrangements or settled this case.
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