A U.S. District Court judge in Delaware has ruled in favor of Thomson Reuters in its copyright lawsuit against legal AI startup Ross Intelligence. The court found that Ross improperly used copyrighted content from Thomson Reuters' Westlaw search engine, rejecting Ross’s claim that its use of the material qualified as fair use. Judge Stephanos Bibas stated that Ross copied Westlaw’s headnotes—summaries written by human editors—to train its AI tool, creating a direct competitor to Westlaw. Ross attempted to obtain a license from Thomson Reuters but, after being denied, acquired similar content through a third-party company. The ruling emphasized that Ross’s actions harmed the market value of Westlaw’s original content.
This case is one of the first legal battles concerning AI training and copyright issues, with similar lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft currently in progress. The court’s decision establishes an early precedent that AI companies cannot use copyrighted material without permission. Although Ross shut down in 2021 due to legal and financial struggles, the lawsuit highlights broader concerns about AI training practices. Thomson Reuters welcomed the ruling, stating that its proprietary legal content is protected and cannot be copied without authorization.
