11:47 am - March 21, 2025
A coalition of 40 French media outlets has launched a legal action against the site for allegedly using AI to steal their content.
A collaborative legal action has been initiated by a coalition of 40 French media outlets against the website NewsDayFR, alleging that the platform utilises AI to plagiarise their content.
The lawsuit, spearheaded by the newspaper Libération, claims that NewsDayFR generates up to 6,000 pieces of content daily derived from other media sources, without attribution to the original authors.
The legal proceedings are taking place in the Paris District Court, where the Alliance of General Information Press (APIG) has brought forward the case. The APIG contends that NewsDayFR, which has been operational since 2021, monetises the repurposed content through advertising while failing to compensate the original creators or employing investigative journalists to produce authentic stories.
The alliance has also requested that French internet providers impose a temporary block on the controversial site for a period of 15 days.
The list of media outlets pursuing this lawsuit includes notable names such as La Dépêche du Midi, La Montagne, Le Télégramme, and La Nouvelle République du Centre, as reported by the MediaMX Alliance. The APIG officials expressed that this collective legal action is intended to establish a definitive legal framework regarding the rise of websites that misappropriate content protected by copyright using AI technologies.
An investigation conducted by Libération in conjunction with the digital media platform Next has uncovered approximately 1,000 AI-driven news websites within France. These sites reportedly generate content by scraping data from established media entities. The complainants highlight that these AI news platforms are not only indexed by Google News alongside traditional news sites but have also resorted to purchasing domains of defunct news outlets and fabricating reporter identities. Such strategies appear to enhance their visibility in search engine results and confer an illusion of credibility that attracts readers.
Source: Noah Wire Services
- https://www.newsday.com/business/ai-media-lawsuit-ch5czorh – This article discusses a similar lawsuit by news publishers against AI companies for copyright infringement, highlighting the broader issue of unauthorized content use by AI platforms.
- https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/lawsuit-against-ai-content-theft/ – This webpage provides details on a lawsuit against Cohere, an AI company, for unauthorized use of publisher content, which parallels the allegations against NewsDayFR.
- https://em360tech.com/tech-articles/google-fined-eu250-million-scraping-french-news-make-gemini – This article reports on Google being fined for using French news content without permission, illustrating the legal challenges faced by tech companies using copyrighted material.
- https://www.vacourts.gov/courts/scv/rulesofcourt.pdf – Although not directly related to AI content theft, this document outlines legal procedures that could apply to cases involving copyright infringement and AI misuse.
- https://www.justice.gov/opcl/overview-privacy-act-1974-2020-edition/disclosures-third-parties – This overview discusses legal protections against unauthorized disclosures, which can be relevant when considering the misuse of copyrighted content by AI platforms.
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative mentions recent legal actions and investigations involving AI-generated content, indicating it is relatively fresh. However, specific details about the lawsuit’s progression or resolution are not provided.
Quotes check
Score:
0
Notes:
There are no direct quotes in the narrative to verify.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from a reputable news outlet, Excelsior, which is well-established in Mexico. However, the specific details about the lawsuit and AI content generation are not directly attributed to primary sources within the narrative itself.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The claims about AI-generated content and legal actions against content farms are plausible given the current digital landscape and concerns over copyright infringement.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative appears to be relatively fresh, focusing on a timely issue of AI-generated content and legal actions in France. The lack of direct quotes and some reliance on secondary sources slightly reduces the score, but overall, the narrative is plausible and originates from a reputable outlet.
Register for Editor’s picks
Stay ahead of the curve with our Editor's picks newsletter – your weekly insight into the trends, challenges, and innovations driving the future of digital media.
