Introduction
Cohere [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10], a Toronto-based AI company, is currently facing a joint lawsuit filed by a coalition of prominent media companies. The lawsuit [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9], filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York [1] [7], accuses Cohere of systematic copyright and trademark infringement [1] [2]. The case highlights the growing legal challenges faced by AI developers regarding the use of copyrighted content for training generative AI models.
Description
Cohere is currently embroiled in a joint lawsuit filed by a coalition of prominent media companies, including notable names such as Condé Nast [6], Forbes Media [3] [8] [10], Vox Media [3] [9] [10], The Guardian [2] [3] [4], Politico [2] [3] [4] [9], and the Toronto Star [3] [6] [9], in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York [1] [7]. The allegations center on systematic copyright and trademark infringement [1] [2], with plaintiffs asserting that Cohere has improperly utilized over 4,000 copyrighted works without authorization to train its large language model, which competes with their services [1]. The lawsuit details instances where Cohere’s technology allegedly reproduced articles verbatim [9], including those behind paywalls [9], and generated false or misleading information attributed to the publishers [8], damaging their brands and resulting in a loss of subscriber and advertiser revenue. The plaintiffs claim that Cohere has displayed full or partial copies of their articles, engaging in widespread unauthorized use of publisher content in developing its generative AI systems [1]. Additionally, the lawsuit highlights how Cohere allegedly uses these articles to create a commercial service that undermines legitimate sources, without investing in original content creation or news gathering [5].
The plaintiffs [1] [3] [7] [9] [10], which include a diverse array of media organizations such as Advance Local Media LLC [10], McClatchy [8] [10], The Canadian Press [6] [8], Torstar [8], The Globe and Mail [8], and Postmedia [8], are seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 for each infringed work under the Copyright Act [1], or damages based on actual losses and Cohere’s profits [1]. They have also requested a jury trial and a permanent injunction against Cohere, compensation for extensive and willful infringement [1], and an order to destroy all infringing copies of their copyrighted works [1]. Furthermore, the plaintiffs demand that Cohere implement technology to prevent its system from retrieving or copying publishers’ copyrighted content [1].
This legal action aims to protect the rights of creative and journalistic work [1], asserting that such content cannot be used without permission or fair compensation [1]. It seeks to establish legal precedents regarding the licensed use of journalism in AI [1] [4], emphasizing that Cohere has failed to license the content it uses and often delivers verbatim texts of publishers’ articles [1], even when general information is requested [1]. The lawsuit also underscores the growing scrutiny faced by AI developers regarding copyright issues [8], as similar legal actions have been taken against other AI firms like OpenAI and Perplexity AI [8]. This case is part of a broader trend of copyright litigation against tech companies by various news outlets [6], authors [6], and artists [6], with the legal concept of “fair use” likely to be a pivotal issue in these cases [6].
Cohere [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10], based in Toronto and valued at $5 billion [8], was founded in 2019 by Aidan Gomez and Ivan Zhang [8], with significant backing from notable figures in AI and major tech companies [8], including Oracle [3] [4] [6], NVIDIA [7], and Salesforce [7]. The company focuses on developing AI tools for corporations and has stated it will indemnify customers against intellectual property lawsuits [9]. In a recent public consultation regarding copyright and generative AI [6], Cohere [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10], along with Google and Microsoft [6], has advocated for a legal exemption in Canada’s Copyright Act [6], arguing that allowing the use of copyrighted materials for AI training without permission or compensation should not be considered copyright infringement [6]. The increasing demand for content to train generative AI models has led to a rise in similar litigations [5], with notable cases involving other AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity AI [5]. A recent ruling favored Thomson Reuters in a copyright case against Ross Intelligence [5], highlighting the legal challenges faced by AI firms regarding content usage [5]. Efforts by publishers to prevent AI companies from using their material [9], such as implementing website code to block data scraping [9], have reportedly been ineffective against Cohere [9]. The current copyright frameworks in the US and Canada are seen as inadequate to address the challenges posed by generative AI [9], as AI companies maintain that their practices are legal while content creators increasingly seek judicial clarification [9].
Conclusion
The lawsuit against Cohere underscores the increasing tension between AI companies and content creators over the use of copyrighted materials. It highlights the need for clearer legal frameworks to address the challenges posed by generative AI technologies. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the AI industry, potentially setting precedents for how copyrighted content is used in AI training and development. As the demand for AI models grows, the resolution of such legal disputes will be crucial in balancing innovation with the protection of intellectual property rights.
References
[1] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/02/news-orgs-accuse-ai-firm-of-stealing-articles-and-creating-fake-news/
[2] https://www.siliconrepublic.com/business/news-cohere-lawsuit-copyright-infringement
[3] https://www.thestar.com/business/major-publishers-sue-canadian-ai-firm-cohere-for-alleged-copyright-infringement/article_747034c6-ea26-11ef-9d03-538b3c5831b6.html
[4] https://www.engadget.com/ai/major-publishers-sue-ai-startup-cohere-over-copyright-infringement-165352238.html
[5] https://deadline.com/2025/02/major-publishers-sue-ai-firm-cohere-copyright-infringement-1236288113/
[6] https://betakit.com/major-media-companies-sue-cohere-for-alleged-copyright-infringement/
[7] https://www.law.com/therecorder/2025/02/13/news-publishers-sue-ai-firm-cohere-alleging-copyright-and-trademark-violations/
[8] https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/2025/02/13/media-companies-sue-toronto-ai-firm-cohere-over-alleged-copyright-infringement/
[9] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-ai-company-cohere-sued-by-major-publishers-for-copyright/
[10] https://chatgptiseatingtheworld.com/2025/02/13/cohere-sued-by-conde-nast-atlantic-forbes-guardian-mcclatchy-others-39th-copyright-suit-in-u-s-v-ai-companies/
