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# DOJ to Creators: Your Copyright Doesn't Matter Anymore
- URL: https://wire.fourthweb.ai/doj-to-creators-your-copyright-doesnt-matter-anymore/
- Published: 2026-09-25T14:18:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-25T15:30:44.000Z
- Description: The government just picked a side in the AI training wars, and it's not the one that protects your work. The DOJ filed a legal brief arguing that AI companies should be able to train models on copyrighted material without permission or payment, calling it essential to "AI dominance"
- Author: Travis Wright
- Tags: Human Imperative, OpenAI, Anthropic, China AI

**The government just picked a side in the AI training wars, and it's not the one that protects your work.**

### The Summary

- [The DOJ filed a legal brief arguing that AI companies should be able to train models on copyrighted material without permission or payment](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/09/trump-admin-ai-copyright-lawsuits/688751/?utm%5Fsource=feed), calling it essential to "AI dominance"
- The position effectively declares copyright law negotiable when national competitiveness is at stake
- Creators who thought their work had legal protection just learned the government considers it training data for the national interest

### The Signal

The Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in multiple ongoing copyright lawsuits against AI companies, [making the case that allowing these companies to train on copyrighted works without licensing is necessary for American technological leadership](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/09/trump-admin-ai-copyright-lawsuits/688751/?utm%5Fsource=feed). The argument isn't subtle. It's a direct statement that copyright law, as currently written, poses a threat to U.S. competitiveness in AI development.

The brief lands in the middle of lawsuits from authors, artists, and publishers who discovered their work inside foundation models without consent or compensation. The legal question seemed straightforward: does scraping and ingesting millions of copyrighted works constitute fair use? Now the government has an answer. Yes, if China might beat us otherwise.

> "The DOJ's position treats copyright as a speed bump on the road to AI dominance."

This isn't about one administration's policy. It's about [the government establishing precedent that national security interests can override intellectual property rights when AI is involved](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/09/trump-admin-ai-copyright-lawsuits/688751/?utm%5Fsource=feed). That's a framework that survives election cycles. Once you accept the premise that AI competitiveness justifies circumventing copyright, you've opened a policy door that's hard to close.

The timing matters. [OpenAI](https://wire.fourthweb.ai/tag/openai/), [Anthropic](https://wire.fourthweb.ai/tag/anthropic/), and other foundation model companies are defending against multiple copyright infringement suits. Those cases could force expensive licensing deals or restrict training data sources. The DOJ brief gives judges a national interest argument to consider alongside fair use doctrine. It tells the court that ruling for plaintiffs might harm American AI development.

**Key implications:**

- Creators lose leverage in licensing negotiations if courts adopt this framework
- Training data becomes effectively free for U.S. companies, while foreign competitors face different legal constraints
- The government just signaled it will prioritize AI capability over property rights enforcement

### The Implication

If you create anything that can be digitized, you now know where you stand in the priority stack. Below national AI dominance. The DOJ brief won't automatically win these cases, but it shifts the argument from "is this legal" to "is preventing this worth the strategic cost." That's a different fight, with different odds.

Watch how the licensing market responds. If creators believe copyright won't protect their work from being training data, some will stop publishing digitally. Others will move to platforms with stronger technical protections. The government just made the case that your IP rights are negotiable. Plan accordingly.

### Sources

[The Atlantic Tech](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/09/trump-admin-ai-copyright-lawsuits/688751/?utm%5Fsource=feed)