Litigation, legislation, regulation, and investigation - the ever-wild world of AI and publishing

Legal salvoes echo across the media landscape as Getty and Disney leap into the lawsuit game, all in this week's Content Aware.

Published: 15:14, 12 June 2025

Corbidge comments on... how to build a new AI 
As Big AI eats the internet and gets all fat and sluggish, a growing variety of alternative ideas show that open or licensed data models do exist - no theft, no drama, and honest payments made where deserved. Not a full fix, but proof you don't actually need to steal anything to do AI. Our resident subscriber-in-chief shares his thoughts.
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Copyright wronged
A stand-off by the UK's upper house of parliament, the Lords, against a government-backed bill containing an "opt out" clause that a site owner has to choose if they don't want their data scraped by AI data crawlers, has ended, with the Lords finally accepting the Data (Use and Access) Bill. After sending the bill back to the lower house five times for reconsideration, Baroness Kidron led a rebellion that has embarrassed the government and had plenty asking if it was in thrall to AI firms above all else. Concessions around consultation kick in after the bill becomes law, but Kidron has warned the fight is far from over.
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Win-back strategies turn churn into growth
Wondering whether win-back strategies actually move the needle on subscriber growth? Turns out, they do - big time. Greg Piechota talked to INMA about how tricks such as habit-forming content, clever pricing, and bundling can help you keep your subscribers hooked. His research is deep and informed, and he's on our side.
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Can Google outrun its AI rivals?
Google's pivot to AI-powered search is a clear sign that the giant recognises the threat posed by start-ups such as OpenAI and Perplexity. With decades of dominance behind it and a massive business at risk, Google is facing a crucial challenge: can it reinvent search in a way that satisfies both users and advertisers? Adweek discusses whether Google has the ability to adapt its model in an AI-driven future.
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Google's AI Mode: survival of the fittest
SEO sage Barry Adams ponders on Google's AI Mode, reducing clicks to news sites and what publishers must keep in mind to save their traffic and revenue. Even as he points out that the product is still experimental, he adds: "As an educated guess, the clickthrough rate from AI Mode answers to their cited sources is expected to be at least as low, and probably lower, as the CTR from AI Overviews."
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Getty takes on AI again
Getty is taking Stability AI to court in the UK in what looks like a proper showdown between copyright and clever robots. A parallel Getty vs Stability AI case is underway in the US too. According to Stability AI's spokesperson "the wider dispute is about technological innovation and freedom of ideas". More like other people's ideas for free. The case has broad implications for intellectual copyright.
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And the votes go to...
It might not be awards season yet - but it's awards nomination season, so here's two to get you started. INMA 30 Under 30 and The Future of Media Awards are waiting for your vote.

AI summaries: bop or flop
AI summaries present both an opportunity as well as a challenge how to preserve the quality and uniqueness that defines trusted news brands. Nieman Lab has gathered three newsrooms to discuss their views on AI summaries and what is crucial to ensure accuracy and trust among audiences.
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AI vs IP: Disney and NBCU strike back
Once described as a "law firm that sometimes make movies" Disney isn't shy of protecting its properties. Now it has teamed up with NBCUniversal to sue AI company Midjourney. According to Axios, the "filing shows dozens of visual examples that it claims show how Midjourney's image generation tool produces replicas of their copyright-protected characters, such as NBCU's Minions characters, and Disney characters from movies such as The Lion King and Aladdin." Apparently the studios tried to talk to Midjourney, but Midjourney didn't take them seriously. Now they're serious, and the Mouse always gets paid.
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AI and the future of local news
In April 2024, the Local News Initiative, Knight Lab at Medill, and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung USA released a report examining how AI is transforming local news. The report highlights both the opportunities and risks AI presents for journalism. Maryland professor Tom Rosenstiel, who contributed to the project, chatted with the Local News Initiative on the impact of AI on journalism, the best approaches as well as how to avoid mistakes made by previous generations in similar situations.
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How user-generated content is winning the SEO game
User-generated content (UGC) is becoming a key player in the SEO game, with Google prioritising authentic, people-first information. Because of this, platforms like Reddit are soaring high because they claim to show real experiences and insights in first-hand reviews. Who would've thought that humans care more human opinions!
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Guardian goes secure
Sources anxious to retain anonymity are an important journalistic asset. The Guardian has now built a new Secure Messaging system enabling users to communicate without compromising their identity. Interestingly, "Messaging conceals the fact that messaging is taking place at all by making the communication indistinguishable from other data sent to and from the app by our millions of regular users". The title is making the code freely available for use by other organisations.
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Brands to the rescue
In a new episode of The Search Session, Gianluca Fiorelli talked with SEO connoisseur Lily Ray on the wide influence of AI and LLMs on search, why building broader brand presence across platforms is important and what is the key to thrive in this evolving digital landscape.
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