OpenAI files copyright claim against r/ChatGPT subreddit: Here's why
OpenAI has reportedly filed a copyright complaint against a ChatGPT-related subreddit. The issue at hand was the "unauthorized use" of OpenAI's logo by the subreddit. The complaint was lodged with Reddit and subsequently relayed to the subreddit's moderators. A message from Reddit to the moderators stated: "Hello Mods, We have received a copyright complaint from openai.com alleging unauthorized use of their copyrighted logos in r/ChatGPT."
Subreddit's unauthorized logo use could lead to user confusion
The message from Reddit further clarified that the 'subreddit profile image' was making use of copyrighted content, which could potentially lead to user confusion. The moderators were instructed to address this issue by May 16 and confirm that the OpenAI logo had been removed from the subreddit profile. Interestingly, while company logos typically fall under trademark law, this case was specifically referred to as a "copyright complaint." Following the notice, the logo has been removed by the moderators.
Copyright complaint sparks criticism among subreddit users
The copyright complaint against the ChatGPT subreddit, which boasts a community of 5.3 million users, has sparked a wave of criticism and irony-laden comments. Many users, who are likely OpenAI customers, have been requesting OpenAI's own tools to create a logo that resembles but does not infringe on the OpenAI logo. As it stands now, the OpenAI logo has been removed from the subreddit, which clearly states in its description that it is not affiliated with OpenAI.
OpenAI defends web scraping policies amid legal challenges
This legal move by OpenAI comes shortly after the company defended its web scraping policies in a blog post and submitted a statement to the UK House of Lords. Over time, OpenAI has purportedly engaged in widespread scraping of the internet and extensive collections of human-generated knowledge and creative content to establish a company valued at approximately $80 billion. The company is currently facing a lawsuit from The New York Times for scraping and republishing large passages of its content.
