Naver’s HyperCLOVA (Image courtesy of Naver)
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s three major terrestrial broadcasters—KBS, MBC, and SBS—have filed a lawsuit against tech giant Naver for unauthorized use of their news articles in training its generative artificial intelligence models, HyperCLOVA and HyperCLOVA X.
This marks the first legal action by South Korean media outlets against a big tech company over unpermitted data use for AI training.
The Korea Broadcasters Association (KBA), representing the broadcasters, announced on January 13, 2025, that the lawsuit seeks damages for copyright infringement and violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act. The lawsuit also demands Naver halt the use of broadcast news content for AI training without prior consent.
The broadcasters had repeatedly requested Naver to provide compensation for using their news data and to present measures preventing future violations. However, Naver failed to provide a clear response.
According to the KBA, Naver declined to disclose the sources and acquisition methods of its AI training data, citing proprietary technology and trade secrets.
In December 2024, the KBA had formally sent a statement to Naver, Kakao, Google Korea, and Microsoft Korea, demanding clarification on whether their member broadcasters’ content was used for AI training and asserting that prior consent and compensation are necessary for such use.
The association warned that using news content without permission for AI training would not be tolerated.
The KBA emphasized that broadcast news content, developed through significant human and financial resources, holds high value as training data for AI models. They argued that copyright infringement must not occur under any circumstances.
The association further stated that this lawsuit is not only about protecting the rights of broadcasters but also about safeguarding the independence and credibility of journalism in South Korea. It aims to set legal and ethical standards for generative AI technology, mirroring ongoing compensation discussions in countries like the United States.
A member of the KBA’s AI Task Force, comprising legal and intellectual property experts from member broadcasters, warned that the association would continue to pursue compensation and preventive measures.
They also signaled plans to take similar legal action against other big tech firms that have used news data without authorization.
In response, Naver stated that it had only learned of the lawsuit through media reports and would issue a formal response after reviewing the details. The company added that it has not used news data without consent since revising its news terms of service in June 2023.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
