Why This Legal Battle Just Got HOTTER

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is playing hardball in a high-stakes copyright lawsuit against OpenAI. According to explosive new court filings, Amodei is trying to duck a deposition that could reveal critical details about OpenAI’s alleged use of copyrighted material to train ChatGPT. The Authors Guild, representing literary heavyweights like John Grisham, George R.R. Martin, and Sylvia Day, isn’t backing down. They’ve filed a motion to force Amodei and his Anthropic co-founder, Benjamin Mann, to testify.

“Amodei and Mann possess unique, firsthand knowledge of information highly relevant to this case.”

— Authors Guild Legal Team

The Backstory: A Legal Firestorm

This lawsuit, filed in September 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses OpenAI of training ChatGPT on stolen material. The Authors Guild sent subpoenas to Amodei and Mann in 2024, demanding testimony and communications from their time at OpenAI. But here’s where it gets juicy:

• Amodei and Mann initially agreed to seven-hour depositions in June 2024.
• They even prepared a treasure trove of text, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger messages for discovery.
• But by late 2024, their lawyers delayed the depositions, hoping to coordinate with another lawsuit against OpenAI involving Sarah Silverman, Michael Chabon, and Paul Tremblay.

The Plot Thickens: Apex Doctrine and Family Drama

Fast forward to January 2025, and Amodei’s lawyers are pulling out all the stops to avoid the deposition. They claim his schedule is too demanding, invoking the “apex doctrine” — a legal strategy often used to shield high-ranking executives from testifying. Meanwhile, Mann is citing personal reasons, including two young children and a family member’s serious medical diagnosis, to limit his deposition to four hours.

“Mann will only sit for a deposition if the Authors Guild agrees not to depose Amodei.”

— Mann’s Legal Team

What’s at Stake?

This isn’t just about legal technicalities — it’s about the future of AI and intellectual property. With OpenAI reportedly in talks to raise $40 billion, the outcome of this case could set a precedent for how AI companies use copyrighted material. The Authors Guild is fighting to protect creators, while Amodei and Mann are caught in the crossfire of a legal battle that could reshape the tech landscape.

What Happens Next?

Discovery in the Authors Guild case is set to wrap up in April 2025. Will Amodei and Mann be forced to testify? Or will their legal maneuvers succeed? One thing’s for sure: this case is heating up, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.