NYTimes, Amazon Reach Licensing Agreement

The New York Times Company announced on Thursday a multiyear agreement to license its editorial content to Amazon for use in the company’s AI platforms. 

The deal includes news articles, as well as content from NYT Cooking and The Athletic, integrating Times material into various Amazon customer experiences.

This marks The Times’s first licensing deal centered on generative AI technology. In 2023, The Times filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging copyright infringement for using millions of its articles to train chatbots without compensation, claims both companies denied. 

Financial details of the Amazon agreement were not disclosed.

Media companies are increasingly licensing content to AI firms like OpenAI, Microsoft, and ProRata to train models or enhance AI search and chatbot functionalities. These deals often include attribution, traffic referrals, and access to AI tools for product development, reflecting a strategic shift toward integrating AI while protecting revenue streams.

Legal Tensions: While some publishers embrace licensing, others, like The New York Times, Raw Story, The Intercept, and News Corp (in a separate lawsuit against Perplexity), pursue legal action against AI companies for alleged copyright infringement, highlighting a divide in the industry.

Revenue and Attribution Focus: Recent deals emphasize attribution, traffic referrals, and revenue-sharing models over traditional training data licenses, as publishers aim to maintain visibility and monetize content in AI-driven ecosystems.

Music and Social Media: Music licensing deals, such as those with Meta and YouTube, underscore the growing influence of social media platforms on content consumption, with negotiations focusing on fair artist compensation and AI usage rights.