Microsoft and OpenAI face copyright lawsuits from U.S. media outlets

On October 7, 2026, it was reported that Microsoft and OpenAI are being sued by several U.S. local media outlets, including Emmerich Newspapers, for alleged copyright infringement. The plaintiffs claim that the companies intentionally stole thousands of articles to train their AI models, generating billions of dollars in revenue without compensating the publishers. The lawsuit alleges that the companies bypassed paywalls and operated without proper authorization. Emmerich Newspapers, a major private newspaper group based in Mississippi, serves Louisiana and Arkansas as well. Other plaintiffs include Ojai Media, Coopwood Publishing, and related entities. The lawsuit seeks damages and a court order to remove the infringing training data from the models. The plaintiffs argue that the companies violated the Copyright Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.