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Penguin Random House Sues OpenAI in Munich Over Children’s Series Copyright Claims

The case tests claims that ChatGPT memorizes copyrighted works.

Overview

  • Penguin Random House filed a lawsuit in Munich against OpenAI over alleged copying tied to Ingo Siegner’s children’s series Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss.
  • The publisher says ChatGPT returned recognizable passages from the books in response to simple prompts.
  • It also alleges the system produced illustrations that closely matched the series’ dragon character.
  • The complaint argues these outputs show unlawful training and model “memorization,” citing draft-ready materials such as covers, jacket copy, and self-publishing instructions.
  • OpenAI says it is reviewing the allegations and is in talks with publishers worldwide, and the suit follows a cease-and-disclose request the publisher says went unanswered.