# AI training & copyright litigation — the record

The court cases over what AI systems may train on and quote — rulings here redraw the economics of the answer engines.

Six items in three weeks, and the direction is toward narrower theories rather than settled law. Two judges reached opposite results on near-identical DMCA anti-circumvention claims against the same scraper within days: Google's case against SerpApi was mostly dismissed, while Reddit's suit against Perplexity and SerpApi survived dismissal in the Southern District of New York. The Ninth Circuit then reversed the injunction barring Perplexity's Comet browser from Amazon.com, holding that the user, not Perplexity, directs the Assistant's access. In the consolidated OpenAI copyright litigation, the court denied the New York Times, Daily News and Ziff Davis leave to revive contributory-infringement claims against Microsoft. Training-data claims and the antitrust remedy remain live.

- 2026-09-17: Tampa Bay Times publisher sues OpenAI, Microsoft (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-17-tampa-bay-times-publisher-sues-openai-microsoft/)
  Times Publishing Company, the corporate publisher of the Tampa Bay Times, sued OpenAI and Microsoft on Sept. 16 in the Southern District of New York…
- 2026-09-16: Cambronne v. Anthropic opt-out trial set for 2028 (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-16-cambronne-v-anthropic-opt-out-trial-set-for-2028/)
  Authors and publishers who declined the Bartz v.
- 2026-09-16: Concord Music v. Anthropic heads to Oct. 21 hearing (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-16-concord-music-v-anthropic-heads-to-oct-21-hearing/)
  Summary judgment briefing — the filings asking a judge to rule without a trial — is complete in Concord Music v.
- 2026-09-16: Ninth Circuit backs GitHub Copilot in copyright-tag case (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-16-ninth-circuit-backs-github-copilot-in-copyright-tag-case/)
  The Ninth Circuit affirmed dismissal of a claim that GitHub's Copilot coding assistant violated copyright law by stripping copyright management…
- 2026-09-11: Anthropic defends its fair-use counterclaim in Gilbert copyright fight (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-11-anthropic-defends-its-fair-use-counterclaim-in-gilbert-copyright-fight/)
  Anthropic filed its opposition to Daniel Benjamin Gilbert's motion to dismiss the company's fair-use counterclaim in his pro se copyright suit over his…
- 2026-09-09: Microsoft, Nadella face third AI copyright shareholder derivative suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-09-microsoft-nadella-face-third-ai-copyright-shareholder-derivative-suit/)
  Katelyn Gray filed a shareholder derivative suit against Satya Nadella, other Microsoft directors and officers, and Microsoft itself on Sept. 9 in the…
- 2026-09-05: Seattle Times, Newsday sue OpenAI, Microsoft over AI use (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-05-seattle-times-newsday-sue-openai-microsoft-over-ai-use/)
  The Seattle Times and Newsday filed a joint copyright suit against OpenAI and Microsoft on Sept. 4 in the Southern District of New York, the same day…
- 2026-09-04: ROSS Intelligence flags DOJ's fair-use view to Third Circuit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-04-ross-intelligence-flags-doj-s-fair-use-view-to-third-circuit/)
  ROSS Intelligence filed a Rule 28(j) letter of new authority with the Third Circuit on Sept. 4, pointing the panel to the U.S. Department of Justice's…
- 2026-09-03: Bartz v. Anthropic payout pushed to Nov. 15 at $2,203.56 per work (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-03-bartz-v-anthropic-payout-pushed-to-nov-15-at-2-203-56-per-work/)
  Class counsel in the Bartz v.
- 2026-09-02: Justice Department backs fair use in OpenAI copyright case (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-02-justice-department-backs-fair-use-in-openai-copyright-case/)
  The U.S. Department of Justice filed a Statement of Interest on Sept. 1 in In re OpenAI Copyright Infringement Litigation, before Judge Sidney Stein…
- 2026-08-29: Sony Music Publishing sues Anthropic over training data (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-29-sony-music-publishing-sues-anthropic-over-training-data/)
  Sony Music Publishing sued Anthropic in the Northern District of California on August 28, alleging direct copyright infringement via torrenting…
- 2026-08-28: Gilbert pledges not to sue Anthropic over AI training copies (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-28-gilbert-pledges-not-to-sue-anthropic-over-ai-training-copies/)
  Daniel Benjamin Gilbert, proceeding pro se in his copyright suit against Anthropic after opting out of the Bartz class settlement, has filed a covenant…
- 2026-08-28: Perplexity raises First Amendment defense in Reddit's DMCA suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-28-perplexity-raises-first-amendment-defense-in-reddit-s-dmca-suit/)
  Perplexity has raised a First Amendment defense in Reddit's DMCA suit against it and SerpApi, following the same move Anthropic made in the Gilbert…
- 2026-08-28: News/Media Alliance opposes Databricks summary judgment bid (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-28-news-media-alliance-opposes-databricks-summary-judgment-bid/)
  News/Media Alliance, the Association of American Publishers, and the International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers filed a joint…
- 2026-08-28: SerpApi seeks to dismiss Google's amended DMCA complaint (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-28-serpapi-seeks-to-dismiss-google-s-amended-dmca-complaint/)
  SerpApi filed a motion on August 28 to dismiss Google's First Amended Complaint, per Chat GPT Is Eating the World.
- 2026-08-28: Anthropic wins First Amendment ruling against Department of War (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-28-anthropic-wins-first-amendment-ruling-against-department-of-war/)
  Judge Rita Lin granted Anthropic summary judgment on its First Amendment challenge to the U.S. Department of War's designation of the company as a "supply…
- 2026-08-28: Bartz v. Anthropic settlement effective, payouts due Sept. 17 (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-28-bartz-v-anthropic-settlement-effective-payouts-due-sept-17/)
  The Bartz v.
- 2026-08-26: Judge Mehta calls Google's AI Overviews "unfair" to publishers (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-26-judge-mehta-calls-google-s-ai-overviews-unfair-to-publishers/)
  U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta — who previously ruled that Google holds an illegal monopoly in search — said at a Tuesday hearing that Google's use of…
- 2026-08-22: Judge denies Google fee bid as publishers drop suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-22-judge-denies-google-fee-bid-as-publishers-drop-suit/)
  A federal judge denied Google's request for attorneys' fees after publishers Cengage and Hachette withdrew their motion to intervene in the multidistrict…
- 2026-08-22: Perplexity moves to dismiss most of CNN's claims (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-22-perplexity-moves-to-dismiss-most-of-cnn-s-claims/)
  Perplexity asked a court to dismiss Counts II through V of CNN's copyright complaint — everything except the claims tied to Perplexity's training-data…
- 2026-08-22: wikiHow sues OpenAI over AI training, query use (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-22-wikihow-sues-openai-over-ai-training-query-use/)
  wikiHow filed a copyright suit against OpenAI, alleging infringement in both OpenAI's training inputs and its responses to user queries, plus vicarious…
- 2026-08-20: Anthropic adds First Amendment defense in Gilbert suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-20-anthropic-adds-first-amendment-defense-in-gilbert-suit/)
  Anthropic has filed an amended Answer to the copyright complaint from Daniel Gilbert, author of "Hacking World of Warcraft," who opted out of the Bartz…
- 2026-08-20: Musicians union drops Warner but not UMG from AI suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-20-musicians-union-drops-warner-but-not-umg-from-ai-suit/)
  The American Federation of Musicians has dropped its lawsuit against Warner Music Group, while its claims against Universal Music Group continue, per Chat…
- 2026-08-19: Authors amend Anthropic suit, add claims against Amodei (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-19-authors-amend-anthropic-suit-add-claims-against-amodei/)
  A First Amended Complaint in Shakespeare v.
- 2026-08-19: Publishers appeal fee ruling in Anthropic book-piracy suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-19-publishers-appeal-fee-ruling-in-anthropic-book-piracy-suit/)
  The Publishers' Coordination Counsel has filed a notice of appeal to the Ninth Circuit challenging the denial of its attorneys' fee award in the Bartz v.
- 2026-08-16: OpenAI sued by textbook authors over training data (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-16-openai-sued-by-textbook-authors-over-training-data/)
  Textbook author Michael Sullivan and other writers sued OpenAI for copyright infringement in the Southern District of New York on August 14, alleging…
- 2026-08-11: French publishers file complaint against Google AI Overviews (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-11-french-publishers-file-complaint-against-google-ai-overviews/)
  The Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale (APIG), representing nearly 300 French newspapers, filed a complaint with France's competition authority…
- 2026-08-11: Google refiles DMCA claim against scraper SerpApi (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-11-google-refiles-dmca-claim-against-scraper-serpapi/)
  Google filed a First Amended Complaint against scraper SerpApi on August 11, adding new allegations to try to revive the DMCA anti-circumvention claim…
- 2026-08-08: Amicus brief urges D.C. Circuit to toughen Google's AI antitrust remedy (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-08-amicus-brief-urges-d-c-circuit-to-toughen-google-s-ai-antitrust-remedy/)
  Joel Thayer, president of the Digital Progress Institute, and Asad Ramzanali, a former White House OSTP official, filed a 34-page amicus brief on August 4…
- 2026-08-08: NYT, Ziff Davis lose bid to revive copyright claims against Microsoft (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-08-nyt-ziff-davis-lose-bid-to-revive-copyright-claims-against-microsoft/)
  A federal judge overseeing the consolidated In re OpenAI Copyright Infringement Litigation denied the New York Times, Daily News, and Ziff Davis leave to…
- 2026-08-05: 9th Circuit reverses Perplexity CFAA injunction in Amazon suit (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-08-05-9th-circuit-reverses-perplexity-cfaa-injunction-in-amazon-suit/)
  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a preliminary injunction that had barred Perplexity AI's agentic browser Comet from operating on Amazon.com…
- 2026-07-31: Reddit's DMCA suit against Perplexity, SerpApi survives dismissal bid (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-07-31-reddit-s-dmca-suit-against-perplexity-serpapi-survives-dismissal-bid/)
  A federal judge in the Southern District of New York denied Perplexity and SerpApi's motions to dismiss Reddit's DMCA anti-circumvention claims, per Ars…
- 2026-07-28: Judge dismisses most of Google's DMCA case against scraper SerpApi (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-07-28-judge-dismisses-most-of-google-s-dmca-case-against-scraper-serpapi/)
  A federal judge dismissed most of Google's DMCA anti-circumvention claims against scraper SerpApi, ruling that SearchGuard, Google's anti-bot system…
- 2026-07-20: Publishers file class action over books used to train Gemini (https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-07-20-publishers-file-class-action-over-books-used-to-train-gemini/)
  A proposed class action alleges Google trained Gemini on copyrighted books without authorization, joining an unusually crowded month of AI-training…

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