MONTREAL, Nov. 24, 2025 /CNW/ - La Presse announced today that it has filed suit against OpenAI, the company behind the ChatGPT generative AI model, for unauthorized use of content protected by copyright. The lawsuit seeks acknowledgement of and compensation for the defendant's use of thousands of La Presse articles to train its AI model, without consent or payment.
"La Presse's mission is to deliver high-quality news and information, free of charge and accessible to everyone," said Patrick Bourbeau, Vice-President, Legal Affairs, La Presse. "To ensure that accessibility, we invest considerable resources in producing and distributing content from the largest independent French-language newsroom in North America. Copyright is a foundational element in our journalists' and our non-profit organization's ability to produce thorough, rigorous reporting, which is a pillar of our democracy."
The commercial success of the ChatGPT platform is predicated on repeated acts of copyright infringement with no consideration for the intellectual property rights of La Presse. OpenAI profits from the news content produced by La Presse and from investments in that production, without bearing any of the cost related to newsgathering, writing and publication. The success of ChatGPT would not have been possible were it not for OpenAI's unauthorized use of the resources of La Presse and those of other media.
"In today's era of disinformation, independent, high-quality journalism like that practised by La Presse is indispensable," Mr. Bourbeau continued. "When we publish verified information, obtained by means of a rigorous newsgathering process, we help to distinguish facts from fake news. Given the speed at which 'fake news' travels, whether via social media or news platforms lacking in credibility, this type of journalism is a bulwark against the manipulation of information, which is one of the gravest threats to our democracy and its institutions."
He concluded: "Our action sends a clear message: free access to news and information is no justification for pillaging our content for commercial purposes. We believe that high-quality news and information are a public good. Today, we are moving proactively to safeguard the value of our content, without waiting for a legislative framework."
The legal action announced by La Presse today is in line with that undertaken by a coalition of Canadian media organizations, including CBC/Radio-Canada, the Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press, Postmedia and the Toronto Star. That lawsuit was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in November 2024, while La Presse's was filed in Québec Superior Court.
About La Presse
La Presse is a French-language digital news media outlet of record in Canada. It is completely independent and operates in a not-for-profit structure. Its mission is to offer quality information that is free of charge and accessible to all. Its articles are published daily in a digital edition for tablets, via its mobile app and on its website. Its various platforms reach four million readers each month. The recipient of numerous awards for the quality of its content, La Presse is known for its rich and diversified news coverage, its investigations and in-depth reports, as well as the large space it devotes to debates. Since the launch of its philanthropy program in 2019, more than 100,000 donors have financially supported La Presse's news and information mission. To learn more, visit info.lapresse.ca.
SOURCE La Presse
Michaël Majeau, Director, Communications and Brand Image, 514 285-7000, ext. 7730, [email protected]
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