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Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster File Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against OpenAI

SPACE 4K
March 18, 2026

March 16, Kathmandu – The globally renowned encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, along with the dictionary Merriam-Webster, have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the artificial intelligence company OpenAI.

Britannica alleges that approximately 100,000 online articles under its ownership were used by OpenAI without permission to train its AI models.

The complaint states that OpenAI’s ChatGPT directly utilizes Britannica’s content in its responses, which has reportedly impacted the revenue of publishers.

Additionally, Britannica accuses OpenAI of damaging its brand through the generation of misinformation, known as “hallucinations.” Britannica claims that the use of their works via Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) technology infringes upon the rights of authors and publishers.

Previously, major media outlets such as The New York Times and Toronto Star have also filed similar lawsuits against OpenAI.

This case is expected to set a significant legal precedent regarding whether AI companies must pay for using online content in the future.

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