South Korean broadcasters sue OpenAI over AI training

South Korea’s KBS, MBC, and SBS have filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the AI platform of copyright infringement over the use of their news content for training ChatGPT.

The Korean Broadcasters Association said the broadcasters aim to protect their core assets and seek legal action to address data sovereignty in South Korea. This is the first lawsuit by Korean terrestrial broadcasters against a global AI company over content use.

The broadcasters say OpenAI is aware of the need for licensing agreements but has refused to negotiate with them, maintaining a discriminatory copyright policy.

🔗 Source: Edaily

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

The broadcasters’ lawsuit follows a similar playbook used against a local tech giant

In January 2025, KBS, MBC, and SBS sued South Korean tech firm Naver on similar claims, saying it used their news without permission in HyperCLOVA and HyperCLOVA X 1.
Months later, KBS signed a partnership with Naver to use its AI in content production, which weakened a shared legal stance 2.
Analysts call the lawsuits a bargaining move aimed at setting payment rules, such as fees for AI use of news 2.
The case against Naver may become South Korea’s first test of a “fair use” defense for AI training, since courts have not recognized a clear precedent for that use case 3.

The lawsuit contrasts with a global trend of major publishers licensing content to AI firms

The networks say OpenAI declined talks on permission to use their reporting, even as OpenAI has signed many content agreements abroad.
OpenAI has partnered with Hearst, News Corp, The Atlantic, and Vox Media to use articles in model training and chatbot answers 4 5.
These contracts often pay publishers and require attribution with links in ChatGPT replies, which protects intellectual property through agreed terms 4 5.
Similar arrangements are spreading as Google and Perplexity AI pursue deals with news outlets, offering another route besides court fights 6.