Microsoft Claims Copilot Rarely Reproduces NYT Content in Copyright Defense

In ongoing legal battles against publishers such as The New York Times and various book authors, Microsoft has filed new defenses asserting that its Copilot chatbot rarely reproduces complete sentences from news articles or books. The company contends that the AI system does not generate substantial portions of content that could serve as substitutes for the original works.

As part of the discovery process, Microsoft provided an expert hired by news publishers with 8.2 million Copilot chat logs. The corporation stated that these records were specifically selected because they contained keywords associated with the news plaintiffs’ websites, making them the most probable candidates for featuring copyrighted material.

Preliminary analysis of the provided logs indicates that instances of direct reproduction are minimal. Microsoft maintains that the data supports its position that the chatbot’s output generally avoids infringing on the specific copyright claims brought forward by the publishing plaintiffs.