Gracenote Sues OpenAI Over Unauthorized Metadata Use

Gracenote, a media metadata subsidiary of Nielsen, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against OpenAI in Manhattan federal court on March 10, 2026. The company alleges that OpenAI used its copyrighted content descriptions and identifiers, as well as the structural framework connecting that information, to develop commercially valuable AI products including ChatGPT.

Gracenote claims it attempted to secure a licensing deal with OpenAI, but those efforts were ignored or rebuffed. To demonstrate the infringement, Gracenote stated it successfully prompted ChatGPT to reproduce descriptions of popular shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones," which it argues proves the use of its proprietary data. The company is seeking monetary damages and a court order to block OpenAI from further using its datasets, asserting that such unauthorized use threatens licensing markets for other AI providers and media distributors.

OpenAI responded to the allegations by stating that its models are trained on publicly available data and grounded in fair use. Gracenote has previously established AI partnerships with other technology firms, including Google and Samsung.