The BaseNewsThe Verge

Wikipedia’s operator says a bad AI copyright ruling could threaten the open web

The Verge reports that the Wikimedia Foundation filed an amicus brief in the New York Times copyright cases against OpenAI and Microsoft, taking neither side. It argues training on copyrighted work can be fair use, but chatbots that supply copies in place of the originals should need a licence.

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Why it matters

The same thing, for different readers.

What it means for you

Wikipedia's operator says a one-sided court ruling could either cost Wikipedians useful AI tools or leave free knowledge exposed to AI companies that ignore its licence.

For lawmakers

The Wikimedia Foundation asks the court to treat AI training and output that stands in for the original differently, rather than rule on fair use in one stroke.

The question it raises

The brief asks who owes what to the volunteer communities whose freely shared work becomes the raw material of AI systems.

In their own words

Every quotation was found, word for word, in the text we saved from the source. That shows the words are there; it does not make them true, or prove the speaker meant them as quoted.

From the source’s own text.

“Wikimedia is concerned that the parties’ positions in this case push for overbroad and simplified applications of the fair use doctrine”
Wikimedia FoundationFrom the Wikimedia Foundation's amicus brief in the lawsuits by publishers including The New York Times against OpenAI and Microsoft, as quoted by The Verge.
Found word for word in the sourceAs quoted in the text we read, not the speaker’s own text or a transcript of their words
“A ruling that does not apply fair use principles carefully could threaten the sustainability of free knowledge, and stifle the development of open source technologies, ultimately impacting access to information for everyone in both cases”
Stephen LaPorte, General counsel, Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia Foundation general counsel Stephen LaPorte, in a statement about the brief, as quoted by The Verge.
Found word for word in the sourceAs quoted in the text we read, not the speaker’s own text or a transcript of their words
“We are taking a position in this case to defend the free and open human knowledge that Wikipedia depends on”
Bernadette Meehan, CEO, Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia CEO Bernadette Meehan, in a statement about the brief, as quoted by The Verge.
Found word for word in the sourceAs quoted in the text we read, not the speaker’s own text or a transcript of their words

The record

Questions
Who can demand evidence, delay a release or stop an unsafe deployment? · How is AI changing childhood, health and daily life?
People
Lauren Feiner (Wrote it, Senior Policy Reporter, The Verge) · Stephen LaPorte (Speaks, General counsel, Wikimedia Foundation) · Bernadette Meehan (Speaks, CEO, Wikimedia Foundation)
What we read
We read the whole source.
Found by
The Radar, run of October 31, 2026, via the-verge-ai (tier 2: a major outlet’s own reporting)
Cite this
The Verge, “Wikipedia’s operator says a bad AI copyright ruling could threaten the open web”, October 30, 2026. Entry in the Ctrl AI Base, https://ctrlai.com/base/the-verge-2026-10-30-wikimedia-fair-use-brief
Our notesQuotes are Wikimedia's words as reported by The Verge, not read from the brief itself. Page text included site navigation; the article body was read in full.