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Encyclopedia britannica sues OpenAI over AI training
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 16, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 16, 2026
Quick Summary
Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam‑Webster have sued OpenAI, alleging it copied nearly 100,000 articles and definitions to train ChatGPT, generating “near‑verbatim” summaries that siphoned web traffic and misused their trademarks in false AI outputs.
Encyclopedia Britannica sues OpenAI over AI training
By Blake Brittain
Britannica accuses OpenAI of copyright infringement in AI model training
March 16 (Reuters) - Encyclopedia Britannica and its Merriam-Webster subsidiary have sued OpenAI in Manhattan federal court for allegedly misusing their reference materials to train its artificial intelligence models.
Details of the lawsuit
Britannica said in the complaint filed on Friday that Microsoft-backed OpenAI used its online articles and encyclopedia and dictionary entries to teach its flagship chatbot ChatGPT to respond to human prompts and "cannibalized" Britannica's web traffic with AI-generated summaries of its content.
OpenAI's response
"Our models empower innovation, and are trained on publicly available data and grounded in fair use," an OpenAI spokesperson said on Monday in response to the lawsuit.
Britannica's response
Spokespeople and attorneys for Britannica did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Context: AI lawsuits and copyright concerns
The case is one of many high-stakes lawsuits filed by copyright owners including authors and news outlets against tech companies for using their material to train AI systems without permission. Britannica filed a related lawsuit against artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI last year that is still ongoing.
Fair use arguments by AI companies
AI companies have argued that their systems make fair use of copyrighted content by transforming it into something new.
Allegations and demands by Britannica
Britannica's lawsuit said that OpenAI unlawfully copied nearly 100,000 of its articles to train GPT large language models. The complaint said that ChatGPT produces "near-verbatim" copies of Britannica's encyclopedia entries, dictionary definitions and other content, diverting users who would otherwise visit its websites.
Trademark infringement claims
Britannica also accused OpenAI of infringing its trademarks by implying that it has permission to reproduce its material and wrongfully citing Britannica in false AI "hallucinations."
Requested remedies
Britannica requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages and a court order blocking the alleged infringement.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Chizu Nomiyama)
Key Takeaways
- •Britannica claims OpenAI used its content without permission to train language models, allegedly copying nearly 100,000 entries and diverting user traffic with AI‑generated summaries (axios.com)
- •The lawsuit also alleges trademark infringement by implying permission and wrongly attributing AI hallucinations to Britannica or Merriam‑Webster (axios.com)
- •This suit adds to a growing wave of litigation by publishers and authors—including previous actions by Britannica against Perplexity AI, and similar lawsuits by news outlets and authors—challenging AI training methods and seeking damages and injunctions (axios.com)
References
Frequently Asked Questions about Encyclopedia Britannica sues OpenAI over AI training
1Why did Encyclopedia Britannica sue OpenAI?
Encyclopedia Britannica sued OpenAI for allegedly misusing its reference materials to train AI models without permission, which it claims resulted in lost web traffic.
2What does Britannica allege OpenAI did with its content?
Britannica alleges that OpenAI unlawfully copied nearly 100,000 articles to train its large language models, and that ChatGPT produced near-verbatim copies of its entries.
3Who else is mentioned in the lawsuit besides Britannica and OpenAI?
Merriam-Webster, a subsidiary of Britannica, is also a plaintiff. The lawsuit mentions Microsoft as OpenAI's backer and references a related case against Perplexity AI.
4What does Britannica seek from the lawsuit against OpenAI?
Britannica requests monetary damages and a court order to block OpenAI's alleged copyright infringement.
