Publisher accuses OpenAI of violating children’s book copyrights in Germany

This is the series “Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss”, the story of a dragon called Coco who does not know how to fly, by German illustrator Ingo Siegner.

The lawsuit was filed before the Munich regional court against ChatGPT provider OpenAI Ireland Limited, according to a statement from this publisher, owned by the German media giant Bertelsmann.

With “simple requests”, chatbot “recognizably reproduces” Siegner copyrighted content and generates dragon illustrations “that look remarkably similar to the original”denounces the company.

Furthermore, there are “clear indications” that Ingo Siegner’s works “were illegally used to train the AI ​​system” and are stored by the chatbot.

Penguin Random House considers that the illustrator’s copyright, as well as the exclusive rights of use and exploitation held by its subsidiary, were violated.

The Silicon Valley giant, despite a request for termination and information, did not react, says Penguin Random House.

Contacted by AFP, an OpenAI official for Europe did not immediately respond.

In January 2025, Bertelsmann had reached an agreement with OpenAI to generalize the use of the chatbot in its activities, also including Penguin Random House.

For the publisher, the objective of this collaboration was to offer personalized book recommendations on social networks.

“We are open to the opportunities that AI offers, but intellectual property protection remains a top priority for us,” said Carina Mathern, editorial director of its youth division.

Penguin Random House also calls for “greater transparency for readers, with appropriate safeguards.”

“AI should not be developed to the detriment of those who create the content”the German editors’ union stated in a separate statement.

This body urges the courts to “clearly define at what point illicit appropriations begin.”