Overview
- In a Dec. 1 letter, conservative advocates including Steve Bannon urged Attorney General Pam Bondi and OSTP director Michael Kratsios to oppose treating mass scraping of copyrighted works as fair use.
- The letter brands unlicensed training as “systemic theft” and says it would erode U.S. intellectual property protections vital to creators and cultural industries.
- Citing economic stakes, the signatories say core copyright sectors generate over $2 trillion in GDP and support more than 11 million U.S. jobs, while dismissing claims that licensing is too costly for AI firms.
- The group warns that weakening IP rules would aid China’s economic espionage and points to online examples such as Nazi-themed SpongeBob, altered Pokémon content, and expanding erotic chatbots to illustrate alleged abuse.
- The coalition urges disputes be settled in court rather than through new federal interventions, and Bannon’s War Room posted the letter on Truth Social as the Chamber of Progress counters that fair use promotes innovation and merits DOJ support.