Delhi High Court upholds AI training on copyrighted content under fair dealing

Delhi High Court upholds AI training on copyrighted content under fair dealing

The Delhi High Court on July 25 upheld the use of copyrighted content to train generative AI models, deeming it fair dealing under Section 52 of the Copyright Act. The interim relief was granted to OpenAI in a case examining AI companies’ reliance on copyrighted works for training foundation models. The court’s verdict provides an analytical framework for future disputes, emphasizing transformative use over direct reproduction. The judgment is India’s first substantive judicial engagement with AI and copyright law. OpenAI had sought protection from legal challenges over its training datasets.