Mumsnet files lawsuit against OpenAI over scraping of its content
Mumsnet has a legal complaint against OpenAI, alleging that the AI company had taken billions of words and content from the site without permission.
While content creators and publishers have raised concerns about the protection and copyright of their online content in recent months, this is the first legal action of its kind against OpenAI in the UK.
The complaint, which alleges infringement of copyright, terms of use and database rights, among other things, demands that OpenAI delete all Mumsnet data it holds and cease using it.
Mumsnet unhappy with OpenAI scraping
The online platform consists of over six billion words shared by members of the community. These words are subject to the site’s terms of use, which explicitly prohibit unauthorized scraping.
Earlier this year, Mumsnet approached OpenAI to discuss a potential licensing deal, highlighting the value of their content in addressing gender biases displayed in AI models. Discussions were reportedly unsuccessful, after OpenAI expressed a preference for datasets that were not easily accessible online.
Justine Roberts, founder and CEO of Mumsnet, said the site was committed to protecting its content and was committed to addressing the wider implications for online publishers: “We know it’s not easy taking on a multinational giant like OpenAI, given the huge resources they will give us, but this is too important an issue to let slide.”
Roberts highlighted the potential harm to publishers if AI developers continue to scrape content without permission: “But if the LLMs are allowed to simply steal content from publishers and communities like Mumsnet, they risk destroying them. Everything that is unique and brilliant about sites like ours will be lost, and a handful of Silicon Valley giants will gain even more control over the world’s content and commerce.”
Ny Breaking has asked OpenAI for comment on the matter, but the company has not yet responded.