{"id":73263,"date":"2023-01-30T15:33:44","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T13:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/?p=73263"},"modified":"2025-09-09T13:13:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T10:13:06","slug":"microsoft-and-openai-ask-to-dismiss-copyright-suit-over-ai-copilot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/microsoft-and-openai-ask-to-dismiss-copyright-suit-over-ai-copilot\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft and OpenAI Ask to Dismiss Copyright Suit Over AI Copilot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microsoft, GitHub and OpenAI have asked the court to dismiss the class-action lawsuit accusing them of copyright infringement in creating the Copilot AI tool. According to The Verge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In two filings with the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, the companies said the allegations in the suit were not accurate.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2021, Copilot uses<\/a> OpenAI technology to generate and offer lines of code directly in the editor. Trained on publicly available GitHub repositories, the tool soon drew concerns about potential copyright infringement.<\/p>\n

In October 2022, programmer and lawyer Matthew Butterick joined<\/a> with the law firm of Joseph Saveri to file the proposed class-action. The plaintiffs alleged that the tool was based on \u201csoftware piracy on an unprecedented scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, Butterick and his legal team filed a similar suit on behalf of two anonymous developers.<\/p>\n

Microsoft and GitHub said the complaint \u201cfails due to internal deficiencies: lack of harm and substantiated claims.\u201d OpenAI argue that the plaintiffs \u201cbring numerous claims that do not address rights violations.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to representatives, the plaintiffs rely on \u201chypothetical events.\u201d The plaintiffs do not describe how the tool harmed them personally.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCopilot does not copy anything from open-source code. Rather, Copilot helps developers by generating lines based on the aggregate of knowledge obtained from publicly available repositories,\u201d said Microsoft and GitHub.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The companies also accused the plaintiffs of \u201cundermining the principles of open source software,\u201d seeking in relation to freely distributed code \u201ca court injunction and a multibillion-dollar windfall.\u201d<\/p>\n

A hearing on the motion to dismiss is scheduled for May 2023.<\/p>\n

In January, Microsoft announced<\/a> multibillion-dollar investments in OpenAI.<\/p>\n

In the same month, artists filed suit<\/a> against Stability AI and Midjourney for training their algorithms on their images.<\/p>\n

Microsoft and Github Motion to Dismiss<\/a> by ForkLog AI<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n