A US judge ruled in favor of Thomson Reuters in its copyright lawsuit against legal AI startup Ross Intelligence, rejecting Ross’s fair use defense. The case, filed in 2020, is among the first to address AI training on copyrighted data without permission.
Ross used Westlaw’s headnotes—editorial summaries written by attorneys — as AI training data, despite Thomson Reuters denying a licensing request. The judge found clear evidence of copying, stating Ross built a direct competitor using copyrighted content.
Ross shut down in 2021, calling the lawsuit “spurious.” Similar AI copyright cases involving OpenAI and Microsoft are still ongoing.
Source: The Verge
