MDL
Ziff Davis v. OpenAI
Ziff Davis, Inc. v. OpenAI, Inc., et al.
Where it stands
On December 15, 2025 Judge Stein dismissed Ziff Davis's unjust enrichment and DMCA anti-circumvention counts and trimmed the dilution claim to the MASHABLE mark, allowing contributory infringement and both CMI counts to proceed, and stayed claims tied to newer models outside the MDL's scope.
Key ruling
Dec. 15, 2025 — Judge Stein granted in part and denied in part OpenAI's motion to dismiss, killing the unjust-enrichment and §1201 circumvention claims but preserving contributory infringement and the §1202 CMI claims.
The record
- Court
- S.D.N.Y.
- Case number
- 1:25-cv-04315 (SHS-OTW) (orig. D. Del. 1:25-cv-00501)
- Filed
- 2025-04-24
- Defendants
- OpenAI, Inc. · OpenAI affiliated entities
- Plaintiffs
- Ziff Davis, Inc., digital media publisher (PCMag, Mashable, IGN and related brands) — corporate plaintiff, not a class
- Technology at issue
- ChatGPT / GPT-series models
- Relief sought
- Damages and an injunction barring further use of Ziff Davis content in training and outputs
Claims pleaded
Sources (3)
- In re OpenAI, Inc. Copyright Infringement Litigation (Ziff Davis opinion summary)Loeb & Loeb LLP · 2025-12-15
- Lawsuit Accuses OpenAI of 'Intentionally and Egregiously Exploiting' Content From Major PublishereWEEK · 2025-04-24
- Ziff Davis v. OpenAI complaint (D. Del.)Courthouse News Service · 2025-04-24
This page describes a publicly filed case. This site is not counsel on this matter, nothing here is legal advice, and the allegations described are allegations unless a court has said otherwise.