BUSINESS

Oakland court hears News Corp countersuit against Brave

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OAKLAND, California – News Corp filed a countersuit on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in federal court in Oakland, accusing Brave Software of what it calls “flagrant theft” and “tacky tech trafficking” for allegedly scraping and reselling millions of copyrighted articles to artificial intelligence developers without authorization. The complaint focuses on content from marquee News Corp outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post, and alleges that Brave systematically harvested and monetized this material without permission. News Corp is seeking a permanent injunction to stop the alleged scraping, unspecified monetary damages, and statutory penalties of up to $150,000 for each claimed instance of copyright infringement. SAN FRANCISCO, California – The countersuit marks a sharp escalation in a legal battle that began in March 2025, when Brave, based in San Francisco, preemptively sued News Corp after receiving a cease-and-desist letter. Brave asked a court to declare that its search indexing and provision of snippets and “high-level summaries” of articles were lawful and protected under the fair use doctrine, and it filed an amended complaint in May 2026 after negotiations over what News Corp described as a fair, market-based agreement broke down. The new filing by News Corp underscores the growing legal conflict over whether technology companies can freely mine publisher content to train and power artificial intelligence models, and it places Brave’s search and summarization practices at the center of that dispute.

Prepared by Christopher Adams and reviewed by editorial team.

Timeline of Events

March 2025 Brave files preemptive lawsuit
March 2025 Filing follows cease-and-desist letter
May 2026 Brave submits amended complaint
May 2026 Negotiations for license reportedly fail
July 22, 2026 News Corp files countersuit
July 22, 2026 Countersuit seeks permanent injunction
July 22, 2026 News Corp requests statutory copyright damages
July 22, 2026 Dispute centers on AI training uses

Why This Matters to You

This legal battle could shape how tech companies use news content. It's about your rights too. If Brave wins, it might mean more AI-powered summaries of articles. If News Corp wins, it could mean stricter paywalls. Keep an eye on this case.

The Bottom Line

This isn't just about News Corp and Brave. It's a bigger fight over who controls and profits from online content. And it's a reminder: always respect copyright laws. Worth forwarding if you know someone in the tech or publishing industry.