Brave Software has filed a lawsuit against News Corp in a San Francisco federal court. This legal move comes after News Corp sent Brave a cease-and-desist letter, threatening to sue over what they claim is the unauthorized use of their copyrighted articles from the Wall Street Journal and New York Post.
Brave argues that indexing website content is a form of "fair use," which they believe is essential for all search engines to operate. They also expressed concerns that News Corp’s actions could hinder progress in artificial intelligence, as many AI chatbots rely on search engine results to function.
Brave, which is based in San Francisco, holds a tiny fraction of the search market, with less than 1%. In contrast, Google dominates with nearly 90%, while Microsoft’s Bing captures a significant portion of the rest. Brave claims that News Corp is trying to eliminate competition and raise barriers for new entrants in the search engine market.
The lawsuit adds to the ongoing conflict between media publishers and tech companies over the use of copyrighted content, especially in relation to AI technologies. In a cease-and-desist letter sent in February, News Corp criticized Brave for allegedly profiting from what they call "theft of intellectual property," arguing that Brave sells content to the same tech companies it publicly criticizes.
Brave’s lawsuit seeks a court ruling that would state their use of News Corp’s articles in search indexes does not violate copyright laws. As this legal battle unfolds, it highlights the tensions between traditional media and emerging tech platforms.