3 Count: Sign of the Times

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1: The New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft for Copyright Infringement

First off today, Clare Duffy and David Goldman at CNN report that The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement of their work.

According to the lawsuit, both companies used reporting from The New York Times in training their various generative AI systems. They claim that the companies’ use of their work jeopardizes their ability to provide the reporting that they do, saying that generative AI systems directly compete with the reporting that they provide.

According to The New York Times, OpenAI gave their content “particular emphasis” when selecting content to train their system on. They also claim to have attempted to work out a licensing arrangement with the companies but failed to reach an agreement.

2: ‘Strike 3’ Files Record Number of Piracy Lawsuits in 2023

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that adult entertainment company Strike 3 Holdings has broken a record for the largest number of file-sharing lawsuits, smashing a record that it had set just last year.

According to court records, the company has filed 3,465 complaints in the past year, equating to almost ten lawsuits per day. In 2022, the company was already on the top of the charts with 2,878 lawsuits.

The company is famous for filing “John Doe” lawsuits where the company seeks help from the court to identify the alleged infringer. When they get the information, they usually work to settle the case with the alleged infringer rather than continuing the case in court. Still, the company represents a massive number of lawsuits, with all rightsholders in 2017 combining to file just 1,109 cases.

3: Lucasfilm Sues Star Wash, Chilean ‘Star Wars’-Themed Car Wash

Finally today, Reuters reports that, in Chile, Disney (or rather, their subsidiary Lucasfilm) has filed a lawsuit against a themed car wash named “Car Wash”, alleging that the company is using the name, imagery and more from the iconic film franchise.

According to the lawsuit, the car wash’s name is deliberately similar to the Star Wars brand and that is causing confusion as to what connection it has with the film series. It also claims that various social media posts by the company have featured attendants dressed as Star Wars characters, adding another layer to the infringement.

The company has responded saying that it is in the process of registering its name with the local government and that they feel they are sufficiently different from Star Wars to avoid any copyright or trademark infringement.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.