Latest news with #legalaction
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
BBC threatens legal action against AI startup over content scraping
The BBC is threatening legal action against Perplexity AI, in the corporation's first move to protect its content from being scraped without permission to build artificial intelligence technology. The corporation has sent a letter to Aravind Srinivas, the chief executive of the San Francisco-based startup, saying it has gathered evidence that Perplexity's model was 'trained using BBC content'. The letter, first seen by the Financial Times, threatens an injunction against Perplexity unless it stops scraping all BBC content to train its AI models, and deletes any copies of the broadcaster's material it holds unless it provides 'a proposal for financial compensation'. The legal threat comes weeks after Tim Davie, the director general of the BBC, and the boss of Sky both criticised proposals being considered by the government that could let tech companies use copyright-protected work without permission. 'If we currently drift in the way we are doing now we will be in crisis,' Davie said, speaking at the Enders conference. 'We need to make quick decisions now around areas like … protection of IP. We need to protect our national intellectual property, that is where the value is. What do I need? IP protection; come on, let's get on with it.' The industry would like an opt-in regime, forcing AI companies to seek permission and strike licensing deals with copyright holders before they can use the content to train their models. In October, Rupert Murdoch's Dow Jones, the owner of the Wall Street Journal, filed a lawsuit against Perplexity, accusing it of engaging in a 'massive amount of illegal copying' in a 'brazen scheme … free-riding on the valuable content the publishers produce'. Perplexity told the FT that the BBC's claims were 'manipulative and opportunistic' and that it had a 'fundamental misunderstanding of technology, the internet and intellectual property law'. Perplexity does not build or train foundation models – unlike other companies such as OpenAI, Google and Meta – but provides an interface that allows users to choose between them. The BBC said that parts of its content had been reproduced verbatim by Perplexity. 'Perplexity's tool directly competes with the BBC's own services, circumventing the need for users to access those services,' the corporation said. In October the BBC began registering copyright in its news website in the US, so it is entitled to 'statutory damages in relation to unauthorised use of these copyright works'. In the UK, original proposals published in a consultation indicated that the government could let AI companies scrape content unless media owners opt out, which the industry said would 'scrape the value' out of the £125bn creative industry. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has since said that the government has no preferred option regarding AI copyright laws in the UK but promised the creative sector that it would not be harmed by legislation. 'We are a Labour government, and the principle [that] people must be paid for their work is foundational,' she told a media conference earlier this month. 'You have our word that if it doesn't work for the creative industries, it will not work for us.' Publishers including the Financial Times, Axel Springer, Hearst and News Corporation have signed content licensing deals with OpenAI. Reuters has struck a deal with Meta, and the parent of the Daily Mail has an agreement with The Guardian has approached Perplexity for comment.
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- RNZ News
Auckland couple plan legal action after police officer avoids assault charges
By Al Williams, Open Justice reporter of Celeste Howell and Anaru Mano are unhappy with how a police callout was handled. Photo: Supplied/ NZME - Jason Dorday A couple at the centre of a police assault are considering taking legal action after an officer who stomped, tackled, punched and kneed one of them avoided prosecution. Anaru Mano and Celeste Howell, who was eight months pregnant at the time, have questioned why the officer was not charged with assault and believe police have mishandled the investigation. Police decided that, despite there being enough evidence to prosecute the officer, it wasn't in the public interest to do so. The Independent Police Complaints Authority (IPCA), which oversaw the investigation, agreed. However, the couple say the officer, who has since resigned and is believed to have moved overseas, should have been held to account for his actions. "He should have been prosecuted," Howell said. "We would like to see him brought back to New Zealand and prosecuted. "It's not finished - he left without consequence for his actions." The couple were living in a Lifewise facility in Ōtara, South Auckland, in November 2023, when police were called to reports of a family harm incident. The organisation provides housing and wraparound support for young people who do not have a safe or stable place to live, and aims to support them. Howell says she was struggling with her mental health on the day police were called. Mano was trying to restrain her, as she tried to flee the property. When two officers arrived, they spoke to the couple, before escorting Mano outside the building. According to a summary from the IPCA, the officers were trying to handcuff Mano, but he resisted by keeping his arms at his sides. He was then tackled to the ground and punched by one of the officers. Howell, who was on the second-floor balcony and watching events unfold, tried to verbally interject, before throwing a clay plant pot, which hit the officer on the back. Both officers then tried to drag Mano away. He tried to hold on to a fence and was pulled away. The officer who had punched and kneed Mano then stomped on his torso. Howell then threw a plastic plant pot, which missed both officers. After being handcuffed, Mano was escorted to a nearby police car. As additional officers arrived, the officer who had punched and stomped on Mano re-entered the building and arrested Howell. She alleged the officer "man-handled" her, causing her to fall, handcuffed and belly-first, down concrete stairs. She also claims he struck her on the back of the neck, when escorting her to a police car. Anaru Mano and Celeste Howell Photo: Supplied/ NZME - Jason Dorday Mano was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and assault on a person in a family relationship. Howell was also arrested and charged with assault with a weapon for throwing the pot plants. However, she managed to locate CCTV footage of what happened and gave it to her lawyer, James McGilvary. The charge against Mano of resisting arrest was withdrawn, as was Howell's charge of assault with a weapon. Mano instead pleaded guilty to a single charge of assault on a person in a family relationship. However, the couple do not feel justice has been served. McGilvary says he is now helping them find a lawyer to build a civil case against police for their handling of the case. They have also considered a private prosecution against the officer, but know it would be time-consuming and costly, given the officer is believed to be overseas. Mano is also unhappy with his assault conviction and wants to appeal it. The couple both deny that Mano assaulted Howell that day, but he says he felt pressured to enter a guilty plea. "I pleaded guilty to dragging her inside. I would like to appeal the conviction." He knows "it doesn't look good" that he pleaded guilty, but says he felt he had to. He claims the duty lawyer told him he had no other choice, as he was facing up to two years in jail. McGilvary says the evidence against Mano did not support a charge of assault on a person in a family relationship and he would have advised him to fight it. "As part of the police case against Celeste, I received a copy of the evidence police used to prove the family violence charge against Anaru. "I would have advised Anaru to plead not guilty and been confident of success at trial." Celeste Howell and Anaru Mano discuss the investigation with lawyer Jamie McGilvary. Photo: Supplied/ NZME - Jason Dorday After the couple were arrested, a complaint was made that police used excessive force against them both. While police found force was used against Mano, allegations of excessive force being used on Howell were unsubstantiated. Howell remains adamant that she was "rag-dolled" and thrown to the ground by the same officer who arrested her partner. McGilvary says CCTV in the lobby of the building appeared to have stopped recording at the moment, when Howell claims she was pushed to the ground. "The camera does, however, show Celeste being picked up off the ground and subsequently marched to the back of a patrol car by the same officer. His hand is visible on Celeste's back, forcing her to bend uncomfortably at the waist and placing pressure on her pregnant belly." McGilvary believes there was "ample evidence" to charge the officer for the excessive force he used on Mano. He said the officer's actions, including the force he used around Mano's throat, were contrary to the police policy on use of force. The police report omitted other assault allegations, despite them being captured on CCTV, he said. Examples included the officer placing his hand on the back of Mano's head and subsequently pushing it with force into the roof of the patrol car, while he was in handcuffs. "It is my opinion that the evidence in support of Celeste's claim that the officer pushed her to the ground is stronger than that used to charge Anaru with an assault on Celeste." There was clear circumstantial CCTV evidence of Howell being picked up off the ground, while lying face down, as well as the officer's anger. "This, coupled with the statements of both Celeste and Anaru, may have been enough to secure a conviction. "[The] decision to not prosecute the officer in this case, despite damning evidence... lacks transparency and negatively impacts public trust in New Zealand Police, in my view." Counties Manukau district commander Superintendent Shanan Gray said that, before prosecuting anyone, police "will always assess the specifics of each case pursuant to the Solicitor-General's prosecution guidelines, which includes a public interest test, among other criteria". Police determined prosecution of the officer would not be in the public interest, he said. The officer's resignation concluded the employment process for him under the Public Service Commission's guidelines. The Independent Police Complaints Authority, which oversaw the police investigation, said in its summary that it agreed with the police findings and "overall accepts the outcome reached". IPCA assurance manager Andrew MacNeill said the organisation was notified of the complaint by police in June 2024. After completing a triage and assessment process, the IPCA decided the case did not meet the threshold to conduct an independent investigation. He said the case categorisation process took into consideration a range of factors, including: MacNeill said police began a criminal investigation and an employment process. The authority actively oversaw the investigation and completed reviews, as the investigation progressed. "At the conclusion of the police investigation, we completed our final review and agreed with the findings. "Whilst the police are the decision-makers on whether to commence a prosecution, we can confirm that we were satisfied that police gave due consideration to the Solicitor-General's prosecution guidelines, including applying the public interest test. "We also considered it important that police followed the Public Service Workforce Assurance Standards in relation to employment investigations into allegations of serious misconduct and we confirmed that this was completed." NZME has been unable to reach the officer for comment. * This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald . Photo: Open Justice
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
BBC threatens legal action against AI start-up Perplexity over content scraping
The BBC is threatening legal action against artificial intelligence search engine Perplexity, in its first effort to clamp down on tech
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
6 Copycat Snacks That Landed Aldi In Legal Trouble And 7 More That Could Be Next
Speaking as a self-declared snack connoisseur, Aldi is one of the best in the game for tasty treats. The chain -- which was founded in Germany in the 1960s but has since ballooned into a global operation -- has made its name with a stellar lineup of affordable food and drink, declaring itself the world's first discount grocery store. While it may not be the only chain in the game today, its proclivity for wallet-friendly products is still going strong more than 60 years after its debut. Over the decades, a significant portion of said wallet-friendly products have surged in popularity for their similarity to more expensive branded products. Part of Aldi's allure is the fact that you can secure a basket of dupes for your favorite food items for a fraction of the cost. While Aldi's skill for replicating these products has gone down a treat with customers, the brands that have inspired several of its products often don't share the same enthusiasm. Aldi typically pokes fun at its reputation for copycat products on social media, but this reputation has actually led to some not-so-funny consequences in the past. Some companies have taken legal action against the chain for ripping off their products -- and considering how many other dupes you can currently find on its shelves, we wouldn't be surprised if more do so in the future. Here are the items that have sparked some of Aldi's biggest legal disputes to date (and those we fear may cause more trouble in the future). Read more: 7 Must-Buy Aldi Items For First-Time Customers Aldi certainly isn't the only store to try its hand at knockoff Oreos. Sandwich cookies composed of two chocolate wafers and a vanilla creme filling can be found in the aisles of Walmart, Kroger, Trader Joe's, and more. In May 2025, however, Mondelēz International -- the company behind the iconic sweet treat -- filed a lawsuit against Aldi in the U.S. over claims that it was intentionally trying to deceive customers by copying the famous Oreo packaging for its Benton's Original Chocolate Sandwich Creme Cookies. Oreo wasn't the only cookie brand listed in the lawsuit. Wheat Thins, Nutter Butter, Chips Ahoy!, and Ritz were all mentioned in the filing, with Mondelēz showing images of the first two cookies next to the Aldi copycats to demonstrate the similarity in their packaging. Mondelēz also claimed that it had reached out to Aldi to try to resolve the issue multiple times before deciding to take legal action, despite the company previously resolving complaints over products similar to its Tate's Bake Shop cookies, Teddy Grahams, and more. This lawsuit is still ongoing at the time of writing, with Mondelēz pursuing a court order to prevent Aldi from selling the named products. Watch this space. Clancy's Kettle Chips come in a range of flavors, including jalapeño and sea salt and vinegar. The version sold by Kettle Brands -- which has offered its trademark thick-cut chips since the 1970s -- comes in a range of flavors, including jalapeño and sea salt and vinegar. The two use similar fonts, with an iconic bold K at the front of "Kettle" on both products. They're also both very tasty (although some Aldi super fans claim that its private label is the superior chips brand in every sense). The influence of Kettle Brands on Clancy's Kettle Chips is pretty tough to deny, but it's worth noting that Aldi isn't the only store to take its cues from Kettle Brands products. Lay's also offers a line of kettle chips that isn't totally dissimilar to the latter's products, as does Herr's. Clancy's, however, undeniably features one of the strongest visual resemblances. While it has definitely popularized kettle chips in general, it's worth noting that Kettle Brands didn't invent the concept, cooking method, or even the term kettle chips. But with other brands taking legal action against Aldi over aesthetic similarities in the past, it's not totally beyond the realm of possibility that Clancy's Kettle Chips could cause issues in the future. In December 2024, an Australian brand named Little Bellies was victorious in its legal fight against Aldi. Specializing in children's snacks, the brand had previously taken action against Aldi in 2021, after the latter launched a line of blueberry-flavored corn puffs known as Mamia Organic Baby Puffs that looked suspiciously similar to its Baby Bellies Organic Blueberry Puffs. Like the original snack, Aldi's version included an illustration of a smiling bird over corn puffs and blueberries. The lawsuit also claimed that Aldi had previously instructed a design agency to use Little Bellies products as a reference when redesigning the packaging for products in its Mamia line. A court ultimately ruled in Little Bellies' favor, coming to the conclusion that Aldi had deliberately tried to replicate the aesthetic of the copycat product. Federal court justice Mark Moshinsky claimed that "Aldi sought to use for its own commercial advantage the designs that had been developed by a trade rival," and that the company was liable for damages (via the Federal Court of Australia). Today, Mamia Organic Baby Puffs Blueberry are sold in packaging that instead utilizes an illustrated blueberry. Other brands have been ripping off Pop-Tarts since the dawn of, well, Pop-Tarts. Even the identity of the genius who invented Pop-Tarts has proven contentious in the past, with the company claiming that Kellogg's chairman William E. LaMothe came up with the idea and had "Doc" Joe Thompson perfect the creation. Meanwhile, William Post -- who was the manager of a Keebler Foods plant in Grand Rapids at the time of the Pop-Tart's birth -- insisted that he was recruited to come up with the snack. Point being, the Pop-Tart has been a hotly debated creation since the start, which is why we're keeping an eye on Aldi's take on the saccharine treat. Aldi's line of Pop-Tart-esque products is known as Millville Toaster Tarts. While they don't feature quite as many weird and wonderful flavors as actual Pop-Tarts, there is some overlap, such as strawberry and frosted brown sugar cinnamon. While Kroger has Toaster Treats and Walmart has its Great Value Toaster Pastries, neither is quite as overtly influenced by Pop-Tarts in its design. Millville Toaster Tarts feature similar color schemes (a blue background with bold white writing), an equally bold font, and even arrange the toaster pastries featured on each box in a similar manner. From 2022, Aldi was embroiled in a three-year-long legal battle over its Taurus Cloudy Lemon Cider. The dispute took place in the U.K., where Aldi was accused of ripping off Thatcher's Cloudy Lemon Cider. Unlike the U.S., where it typically does not contain alcohol, the term "cider" almost always denotes an alcoholic beverage to British customers. Both Thatcher's and Aldi were retailing sweet, lemon-flavored ciders, which not only tasted similar but were wrapped in extremely similar packaging. While Thatcher's case was initially dismissed in 2024, the company filed -- and subsequently won -- an appeal in January 2025. According to the BBC, Lord Justice Arnold concluded that Aldi intentionally tried to evoke Thatcher's aesthetic to sell more products, claiming, "The inescapable conclusion is that Aldi intended the sign to remind consumers of the trademark. This can only have been in order to convey the message that the Aldi product was like the Thatchers product, only cheaper." While Aldi confirmed that it planned to appeal, product images for the cider have since been removed from its U.K. website. Aldi's line of Clancy's potato chips is clearly inspired by a string of several iconic brands, but few as much as Stackerz. Its iconic tube of stackable chips is more than slightly reminiscent of the packaging used for Pringles, down to the use of a moustached mascot. Once again, Aldi is far from the only brand to try to recreate the mammoth success of Pringles, which is today owned by Kellanova. Back in 2017, a much more direct Pringles knockoff known as Prongles was sold at Target as a publicity stunt by the same company behind the game Cards Against Humanity. Walmart and Lay's both sell their own interpretations of the same style of potato chip (even though technically, Pringles don't count as potato chips). While legal action has never been taken over Aldi drawing heavy inspiration from the Pringles product, the resemblance between the two is uncanny. One difference that works in Aldi's favor, however, is the fact that some customers actually think Clancy's Stackerz taste better due to their thickness and stronger flavor. Caterpillar cakes are a pillar of British childhood. Quirky though it may seem to someone who didn't grow up in the U.K., these insect-shaped cakes are a staple of birthday celebrations, office parties, Christmas festivities, and even weddings. The original -- Colin the Caterpillar -- is a chocolate and candy-coated chocolate Swiss roll cake created by British chain Marks & Spencer in 1990, but he has since been joined by a small army of larvae rivals, including Sainsbury's Wiggles the Caterpillar, Tesco's Slinky Caterpillar, Morrisons' Morris the Caterpillar, and of course, Aldi's Cuthbert the Caterpillar. The latter hit a little too close to home for Marks & Spencer in 2021, when it sued Aldi over its cheaper but otherwise pretty much identical caterpillar cake. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Aldi continued to make light of Cuthbert's similarity to Colin on social media, kicking off a passionate #FreeCuthbert campaign as the cake was temporarily pulled from stores. This legal dispute has a somewhat happy ending as the two companies eventually cut a confidential deal in early 2022, with Aldi announcing Cuthbert's impending return on Facebook. "Getting out early on good behaviour," it wrote. "Keep an eye out for Cuthy B this Spring." To mark the occasion, Forbes reported that Aldi erected billboards bearing phrases such as "Aisle be back" and "Made by bakers. Approved by lawyers." For anyone concerned about Cuthbert's status today, we can confirm that he's still going strong in Aldi stores across the U.K. Available in flavors such as birthday cake and brownie, Fiber One bars are a popular and tasty choice for anyone trying to boost their fiber intake. The same is true of Millville Fiber Now bars, which also combine the convenience of a pre-packaged cake bar with the nutritional benefits of a quick, low-calorie dose of fiber. Those attributes alone are enough to raise suspicion about where Aldi got the inspiration for the product. It also doesn't help that both products bear similar packaging, with the primary difference being that boxes of Fiber One bars feature a supersized "90" to brag about the fact they contain just 90 calories, while Millville Fiber Now bars feature a "70" (because of course Aldi had to outdo the original and slash the calorie count). The good news for Aldi is that General Mills, which owns Fiber One, hasn't cracked down on the similarities -- at least not yet. Customers, however, have lashed out at the chain in recent months over theories that Aldi changed its Millville Fiber Now recipe for the worse, with the updated bars lacking in both flavor and moisture. Yogurt was the topic at hand for Aldi in 2018 when a brand called The Collective made its feelings known about the chain's copycat tendencies. The brand -- which specializes in gourmet Greek-style yogurts heaped with fruity or fudgy toppings -- threatened the chain with legal action after it launched a line of similar-looking products under its Moo! Gourmet Yogurt line. The Collective co-founder Amelia Harvey shared the brand's frustration with The Sun, saying, "We've always been up for healthy competition, but we're confused why a successful brand like Aldi doesn't market these ranges under their strong own label brand, rather than deliberately imitating others and causing confusion amongst shoppers." While it doesn't seem like The Collective ever actually took legal action, the situation was still serious enough to warrant going to the press over the discontent. Notably, Aldi pulled the line of yogurts in question from its stores just months later. Aldi strikes again with its Clancy's White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn. If its black and yellow packaging looks a little familiar, that's probably because you're used to seeing Smartfood White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn -- a product that relies on the same flavor profile and extremely similar design choices. Nothing has ever come of the likenesses between the two products. However, it does seem like Aldi has eaten into Smartfood's customer base with Clancy's White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn, as fans have claimed that it offers a stronger cheesy flavor and tastes less greasy than its pricier counterpart. It probably doesn't hurt matters that some customers feel like Smartfood has switched up the recipe for its popcorn in recent years -- and not in a good way. While Smartfood once arguably boasted the best cheddar popcorn on the market, some of the most common complaints are that the cheddar flavor simply isn't as sharp as it once was, with cheddar now falling further down the ingredients list than it did in times gone by. In 2018, around the same time that yogurt brand The Collective accused Aldi of ripping off its products, a British sausage company called Heck started making noise about the same issue. This time, Aldi's Ashfield Farm Chicken Chipolatas lay at the heart of the drama, with Heck claiming that the packaging bore an extremely similar color scheme to its own Heck Chicken Italia Sausages. Andrew Keeble, founder of Heck, reportedly sent Aldi a letter asking the chain to axe the product, which was sold in its U.K. stores. He claimed to have received a threatening response that led him to consider taking the company to court. Aldi also insisted that it had used similar branding for its Ashfield Farm line for 15 years. The dispute may have never escalated to an actual court case, but Aldi did subsequently rebrand its Ashfield Farm Chicken Chipolatas, which today feature a cyan blue design, complete with the Union Jack. It doesn't take long to spot the similarities between Benton's Fudge Striped Shortbread Cookies and their Keebler counterpart. With yellow and brown packaging that contains ring-shaped, fudge-striped cookies, these sweet treats are closer to twins than sisters. Despite the strong resemblance between the two, Aldi has never been formally called out by Keebler or its parent company, Ferrero. It has, however, been called out by customers for creating near-identical dupes for Keebler Fudge Stripes. Fans have noted that Benton's Fudge Striped Shortbread Cookies are a similar size to the latter, with the exact same taste. In fact, some even claim that they taste better and less artificial, despite costing less. Other cookies in the Benton's range reportedly come up just as strong against similar products. Just like Walmart, Aldi offers several copycat Girl Scout cookies, with Benton's Mint Striped Fudge Cookies often compared to Girl Scout Thin Mints and Benton's Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies tasting an awful lot like Girl Scout Samoas. Aldi sells a long list of cereal products under its Millville brand, plenty of which enter uncanny valley with their similarity to major brands such as Kellogg's and Quaker Oats. Perhaps the most obvious dupe of the bunch is Millville Fruit Rounds -- a kid-oriented, colorful, ring-shaped cereal with a parrot emblazoned on its packaging. Considering the fact that we could have written that exact same description about Froot Loops, you can probably see where this is going. While Aldi may deign to spell fruit properly in its cereal name, there's no denying where it got the inspiration. Yes, Fruit Rounds are accompanied by a green parrot, not a blue parrot, but if the only real difference between two products is the hue of their animal mascots, then you know you've got a problem. At least, theoretically. Aldi has sold its Fruit Rounds for years without consequence from Kellogg's. Some customers even prefer Aldi's lookalike cereal due to the fact that it's naturally flavored and doesn't contain a long list of colors like Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, or Yellow 6 like Froot Loops. This may just be one instance where a dupe has truly improved upon the original -- so long as Kellogg's lets it go unchecked. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
CNA
8 hours ago
- Business
- CNA
BBC threatens legal action against AI start-up Perplexity over content scraping, FT reports
UK broadcaster BBC is threatening legal action against AI search engine Perplexity, as it seeks to crack down on tech companies scraping its vast content archives to train artificial intelligence models, the Financial Times reported on Friday.
