The Delhi High Court has finished hearing ANI’s request to stop OpenAI from using its news content to train ChatGPT. Justice Amit Bansal has reserved the court’s order. This is India’s first major case on how copyright law applies to AI training. The case was filed on 19 November 2024. So far, 32 hearings have taken place between 19 November 2024 and 27 March 2026. ANI says OpenAI used its news articles without permission or payment. It argues that OpenAI used web tools to collect its content and that ChatGPT can repeat ANI’s articles in its answers. ANI says this is not allowed under the “fair dealing” rule because it is used for business. OpenAI denies wrongdoing. It says its system uses publicly available information and that its servers are not based in India. It also says it does not copy full articles, but only learns patterns from data. OpenAI claims it has also blocked ANI’s website from future training. Court weighs AI copyright arguments Several organisations joined the case. Some media groups supported ANI and asked for stronger copyright protection. Others supported OpenAI and said AI training should be allowed under current law. ANI argues that copying happens when data is collected for training itself. It also says some paid content has appeared in ChatGPT answers. ANI says public access does not mean free permission for commercial use. OpenAI and its supporters say AI models do not store full articles. They say the system only learns patterns and does not keep expressive content. They also say temporary data use should not be seen as copying. A key issue in the case is the meaning of “fair dealing” under Indian law. ANI says AI companies should not be covered under it. OpenAI says training AI is like research and should be allowed. The court will now decide whether using content for AI training counts as copying under the law. Its decision will be important for future AI and copyright rules in India.
