Thomson Reuters et al. v. ROSS Intelligence
AI and Copyright
Jurisdiction: United States District Court for the District of Delaware
Case No.: Not specified
Ruling Date: January 2025
Facts of the Case
Thomson Reuters, the parent company of Westlaw, filed a lawsuit against ROSS Intelligence, a legal research company that developed an AI-powered legal research tool. Thomson Reuters alleges that ROSS improperly accessed and used copyrighted legal materials from Westlaw to train its AI model.
The plaintiffs claim that ROSS’s AI model was trained on Westlaw’s proprietary legal content without permission, constituting copyright infringement. ROSS argues that its use falls under the doctrine of fair use, as it merely analyzes and extracts legal principles without copying verbatim materials.
Legal Issues
Copyright Infringement: Whether training AI on copyrighted legal research databases constitutes a violation of intellectual property rights.
Fair Use Doctrine: Whether ROSS’s use of Westlaw’s content qualifies as fair use under U.S. copyright law.
Impact on AI Development: The broader implications of this case on how AI companies can use copyrighted materials for training.
Court’s Ruling
As of January 2025, the case remains ongoing, but it is closely watched due to its potential to reshape legal AI research and copyright law.
Significance
This case could establish a legal framework for AI companies using copyrighted content in training datasets, particularly in professional fields like law and medicine.