Thomson Reuters Prevails in Landmark AI Copyright Case Against Ross Intelligence

A U.S. court rules that using copyrighted data to train AI without permission does not qualify as fair use, setting a significant precedent for AI copyright disputes.

Thomson Reuters won a partial summary judgment against Ross Intelligence, with the court rejecting fair use as a defense for training AI models on copyrighted data without consent.
The case revolves around Ross Intelligence using data from Thomson Reuters' Westlaw legal research database to develop a competing AI-powered legal tool.
Judge Stephanos Bibas determined that Ross's use of Westlaw content was not transformative and harmed the market for Thomson Reuters' products, failing key fair use tests.
This decision marks the first major U.S. ruling against an AI company in a copyright case, potentially influencing over 30 similar lawsuits currently in progress.
Although the ruling does not directly address generative AI, legal experts believe it could shape future cases involving generative AI tools and copyright law.

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