• by Ray Schultz , Yesterday

The New York Times -- which has persistently fought unauthorized use of its content, suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement -- has signed a licensing deal with Amazon. 

As part of the arrangement, Amazon will be allowed to use Times content in its artificial intelligence platforms, bringing “Times editorial content to a variety of Amazon customer experiences,” the Times says. 

This is the first Times licensing arrangement based on generative AI. It includes news, plus food and recipe material from NYT Cooking and sports from The Athletic.  

The integration will feature real-time display of summaries and short excerpts of Times content within Amazon products and services like Alexa, while also providing links to the stories, the Times says. 

In addition, Times content will be used to train Amazon’s proprietary foundation models. 

“The deal is consistent with our long-held principle that high-quality journalism is worth paying for,” says Meredith Kopit Levien, chief executive of the Times, in a note to staff. “It aligns with our deliberate approach to ensuring that our work is valued appropriately, whether through commercial deals or through the enforcement of our intellectual property rights.”

The financial terms were not disclosed. 

Recently, copyright lawsuits filed against OpenAI and Microsoft by numerous entities were combined in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 

The plaintiffs include The New York Times, New York Daily News, seven other publications owned by Alden Global Capital’s MediaNewsGroup and Tribune Publishing, and the Center for Investigative Reporting.