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Delhi High Court Appoints NLSIU’s Prof. Arul George Scaria as Amicus Curiae in the Copyright Case Relating to ChatGPT

November 26, 2024

The Delhi High Court has appointed Dr. Arul George Scaria, Professor of Law at NLSIU, Bengaluru, along with advocate Adarsh Ramanujan, as amici curiae in the copyright infringement suit filed by news agency Asian News International (ANI) against OpenAI – [ANI Media Pvt Ltd V/s Open AI Inc & Anr].

Context: The Indian news agency ANI has approached the Delhi High Court, alleging that OpenAI, the firm that owns the large language model ChaptGPT, has used copyrighted content of ANI without authorization. This is the first copyright related legal challenge to generative AI models in India. The lawsuit seeks damages of Rs. 2 crore and an injunction to prevent OpenAI from storing, publishing, reproducing, or using ANI’s copyrighted works.

Justice Amit Bansal observed that since the case involves issues related to recent technological advancements, the Court would require the assistance of experts. The order states:

“Considering the range of issues involved in the present suit arising on account of recent technological advancements vis-à-vis copyrights of various copyright owners, this Court is of the view that two Amici Curiae be appointed to assist the Court in this case, (i) a lawyer practicing in the field of intellectual property including copyright and (ii) an academician in the field of intellectual property including copyright. Accordingly, the Mr. Adarsh Ramanujan, Advocate and Dr. Arul George Scaria, Professor of Law, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) are appointed as Amici Curiae in the present case to assist the Court.”

Reflecting on this development, Prof. Arul George Scaria said: “It is indeed an honour and pleasure to assist the court in this matter. This litigation holds the potential to shape the future of AI research, development, and deployment in India, with implications that could resonate for years to come.”

Featured in the Press:

Bar and Bench| Delhi High Court appoints two law experts to assist it in ANI’s copyright case against ChatGPT
Medianama | ANI Vs OpenAI copyright case: Delhi HC appoints two amici curiae
Economic Times | ANI sues OpenAI for copyright infringement; Lawsuit could redefine AI laws in India

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Delhi High Court Acknowledges Dr. Arul Scaria’s Assistance in Copyright Litigation | Submissions Taken on Record