Trump administration backs OpenAI in New York Times’ copyright case over training of chatbots
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a brief supporting OpenAI in its copyright battle against The New York Times. The government argues that training AI models on internet data is protected by 'fair use' and is essential for economic and national security progress.
Why it matters
This intervention sets a major precedent for the future of AI development, copyright law, and the balance between intellectual property rights and technological innovation.
The Trump administration is wading into a legal fight between OpenAI and the New York Times , backing the ChatGPT-maker's argument in a closely watched case over how it builds its AI technology by ingesting and processing millions of news articles.
In court papers filed on Tuesday (September 1, 2026), the Justice Department supported OpenAI's argument that training its models on troves of writings found on the internet is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law.
The Justice Department wrote that “the creative possibilities and public benefits” of training large language models on such content “far outweigh any competitive harm.”
It told the court that siding with The New York Times and other publishers who argue OpenAI's practice violates copyright law would thwart “creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility.”
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