Glossary · term

Copyright laundering

Using LLMs to "launder" copyrighted material — a model is trained on protected works, and its outputs are then treated as independent creations. The NYT v. OpenAI lawsuit (December 2023) is seen as a milestone. In 2024-25, courts began weighing whether training on copyrighted works constitutes fair use. An open legal question.

Culture2023-24Wave 1 · 2023Maturity: 2/5

Maturity rationale

Copyright laundering — a critical term, in circulation

References

Author: NYT