Thomson Reuters has secured a significant fair use victory in a copyright infringement case against Ross Intelligence, potentially setting precedent for AI-related copyright disputes.

The case revolves around Ross Intelligence allegedly using protected content from Thomson Reuters' Westlaw legal database to create an AI-powered law search engine. Judge Stephanos Bibas issued a summary judgment ruling that strongly favors Thomson Reuters' position.

Key Points of the Ruling:

• Thomson Reuters' headnotes were deemed original, copyrightable works
• The judge compared legal editorial work to sculpture, where choosing what to keep and remove creates protected content
• Ross's use was ruled non-transformative and aimed to create a market substitute
• The court found actual copying in 2,243 out of 2,830 examined headnotes

Important Limitations:

The ruling specifically addresses non-generative AI, as Judge Bibas noted: "Because the AI landscape is changing rapidly, I note for readers that only non-generative AI is before me today."

Implications for Music Industry:

While this victory supports copyright holders, its application to generative AI cases may be limited. Music industry cases differ as they involve:

• Mass consumption of copyrighted works
• Generation of derivative content
• Different transformation aspects than legal database use

This ruling could influence ongoing AI copyright disputes, particularly in cases where direct copying can be proven. However, its impact on generative AI cases remains uncertain due to the fundamental differences in how generative AI systems use copyrighted material.

The decision establishes an important precedent for non-generative AI copyright cases while leaving open questions about the broader implications for generative AI technologies.

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