https://ailawwiki.com/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=News_March_13_2026News March 13 2026 - Revision history2026-04-29T16:57:39ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.40.1https://ailawwiki.com/index.php?title=News_March_13_2026&diff=115&oldid=prevAILawWikiAdmin: Migration export2026-04-28T02:34:16Z<p>Migration export</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''March 13, 2026''' — Daily digest of AI law developments.<br />
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This article consolidates 3 news stories from March 13, 2026.<br />
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== Contents ==<br />
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1. California AI Bills March<br />
2. Encyclopaedia Britannica v OpenAI<br />
3. Washington State AI Bills<br />
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== California AI Bills March ==<br />
<br />
'''California AI Legislation''' — Multiple AI-related bills advanced in the California legislature in March 2026, covering disclosure, advertising, workplace, and deepfake protections.<ref name="transparency">{{cite web |url=https://www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legislative-update-march13-2026 |title=AI Legislative Update: March 13, 2026 |publisher=Transparency Coalition |date=March 13, 2026 |accessdate=April 7, 2026}}</ref><ref name="techpolicy">{{cite web |url=https://techpolicy.press/march-2026-us-tech-policy-roundup |title=March 2026 US Tech Policy Roundup |publisher=Tech Policy Press |date=March 2026 |accessdate=April 7, 2026}}</ref><br />
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== Key Bills ==<br />
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=== SB 1000 — AI Disclosure and Provenance ===<br />
SB 1000 requires disclosure and provenance tracking for AI-generated content, ensuring users can identify when content was produced by AI systems.<ref name="transparency" /><br />
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=== SB 1050 — AI in Advertising ===<br />
SB 1050 regulates the use of AI in commercial advertising, requiring disclosure when AI-generated personas or content are used in marketing.<ref name="transparency" /><br />
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=== AB 1898 — Workplace AI Notice ===<br />
AB 1898 requires employers to provide advance notice to employees when AI systems are used in workplace decision-making, including hiring, performance evaluation, and termination decisions.<ref name="transparency" /><ref name="techpolicy" /><br />
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=== AB 1883 — Workplace AI Surveillance ===<br />
AB 1883 places restrictions on AI-powered workplace surveillance and monitoring systems, establishing employee consent requirements.<ref name="transparency" /><ref name="techpolicy" /><br />
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=== SB 928 — CSU Employee AI Protections ===<br />
SB 928 extends AI-related protections to California State University employees, governing how AI systems can be used in academic employment decisions.<ref name="transparency" /><br />
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=== SB 1015 — AI Deepfakes in Minor Extortion ===<br />
SB 1015 criminalizes the use of AI-generated deepfakes in extortion targeting minors, addressing the growing threat of synthetic intimate imagery used for blackmail.<ref name="transparency" /><br />
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== Context ==<br />
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California's legislative activity comes despite the Commerce Department's March 11 assessment specifically calling out two California laws — SB 53 (Transparency in Frontier AI Act) and AB 2013 (Generative AI Training Data Transparency Act) — as conflicting with national policy.<ref name="bakerbotts">{{cite web |url=https://ourtake.bakerbotts.com/post/102mirs/march-2026-federal-deadlines-that-will-reshape-the-ai-regulatory-landscape |title=March 2026 Federal Deadlines That Will Reshape the AI Regulatory Landscape |publisher=Baker Botts |date=March 2026 |accessdate=April 7, 2026}}</ref> The state continues to advance new AI bills even as federal preemption efforts intensify.<ref name="techpolicy" /><ref name="bakerbotts" /><br />
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== See Also ==<br />
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* [[News Commerce-Dept-State-AI-Laws-Assessment-2026|Commerce Dept Assessment of State AI Laws]]<br />
* [[News White-House-National-Policy-Framework-AI-2026|White House National Policy Framework for AI]]<br />
* [[News Washington-State-AI-Bills-2026|Washington State AI Bills]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
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<references /><br />
<br />
''See individual article: [[News California-AI-Bills-March-2026|California AI Bills March]]''<br />
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== Encyclopaedia Britannica v OpenAI ==<br />
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'''Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster Sue OpenAI for Copyright and Trademark Infringement'''<br />
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On March 13, 2026, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. and its subsidiary Merriam-Webster, Inc. filed a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit against OpenAI in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging that OpenAI scraped nearly 100,000 Britannica articles and Merriam-Webster dictionary entries without authorization to train ChatGPT.<ref name="courthousenews">[https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/britannica-openai-sdny-copyright-complaint.pdf Courthouse News: Complaint PDF, Encyclopaedia Britannica v. OpenAI, March 13, 2026]</ref><ref name="washingtontimes">[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/mar/17/encyclopedia-britannica-merriam-webster-sue-openai-massive-copyright/ Washington Times, "Encyclopaedia Britannica, Merriam-Webster Sue OpenAI for Massive Copyright Infringement," March 17, 2026]</ref><br />
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== Claims ==<br />
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The complaint asserts two primary claims:<ref name="courthousenews" /><br />
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* '''Copyright infringement''': OpenAI unauthorizedly copied and used nearly 100,000 Britannica encyclopedia articles and Merriam-Webster dictionary entries — including definitions, etymologies, and usage examples — as training data for ChatGPT. The scale and commercial nature of the copying challenges any fair use defense.<br />
* '''Trademark dilution''': ChatGPT generates outputs that mimic the style and language of Britannica and Merriam-Webster, potentially misleading users about the source and damaging the brands' reputations for accuracy and reliability. Notably, ChatGPT has been known to generate content '''falsely attributed''' to Britannica and Merriam-Webster, compounding the harm.<ref name="aiautomation">[https://aiautomationglobal.com/blog/britannica-merriam-webster-openai-copyright-2026 AI Automation Global, "Britannica & Merriam-Webster Sue OpenAI for Copyright Infringement," March 2026]</ref><br />
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The plaintiffs seek unspecified monetary damages and an injunction to block OpenAI's alleged ongoing infringement.<ref name="washingtontimes" /><br />
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== Significance ==<br />
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The lawsuit is notable for several reasons:<ref name="aiautomation" /><br />
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* It involves '''reference works''' (encyclopedias and dictionaries) rather than the creative works (books, music, video) that dominate most AI copyright cases, testing whether factual reference materials receive similar copyright protection against AI training.<br />
* The '''trademark dilution claim''' is novel in the AI copyright context, adding a brand-protection dimension not present in most AI training lawsuits.<br />
* It joins over 90 active copyright suits against U.S. AI companies, most filed in the S.D.N.Y.<br />
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The case also highlights the issue of '''AI hallucinations attributed to authoritative sources''': when ChatGPT generates content and falsely attributes it to Britannica or Merriam-Webster, it damages those brands' reputations for accuracy — a unique harm that distinguishes reference publishers from other copyright plaintiffs.<ref name="aiautomation" /><br />
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== Procedural Status ==<br />
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The case was filed on March 13, 2026, and remains in early stages as of April 2026, with no reported motions, responses, or rulings.<ref name="courthousenews" /><br />
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== See Also ==<br />
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* [[Encyclopaedia Britannica v OpenAI Inc]] — Case page with detailed information<br />
* [[Gracenote Media Services v OpenAI]] — Nielsen subsidiary sues OpenAI over copyrighted metadata database<br />
* [[Kadrey v Meta Platforms Inc]] — Authors v. Meta over book training data<br />
* [[Cases]] — Active AI litigation tracker<br />
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== References ==<br />
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<references /><br />
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''See individual article: [[News Encyclopaedia-Britannica-v-OpenAI-2026|Encyclopaedia Britannica v OpenAI]]''<br />
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== Washington State AI Bills ==<br />
<br />
'''Washington State AI Legislation''' — Governor Bob Ferguson signed four significant AI bills into law in March 2026, making Washington one of the most active states in regulating artificial intelligence.<ref name="transparency">[https://www.transparencycoalition.ai/news/ai-legislative-update-march13-2026 Transparency Coalition, "AI Legislative Update: March 13, 2026"]</ref><ref name="kuow">[https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-passes-new-ai-laws-to-crack-down-on-misinformation-protect-minors KUOW, "Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors," April 3, 2026]</ref><ref name="opb">[https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/25/washington-passes-ai-laws-misinformation-minors/ OPB, "Washington passes AI laws dealing with misinformation and protecting minors," March 25, 2026]</ref><br />
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== Bills Signed Into Law ==<br />
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=== HB 1170 — AI Content Provenance and Disclosure ===<br />
HB 1170, signed by Governor Ferguson on '''March 25, 2026''', requires large AI providers (those with over 1 million monthly users and annual revenues exceeding $500 million) to disclose when content is AI-generated or substantially modified.<ref name="opb" /><ref name="troutman">[https://www.troutmanprivacy.com/2026/04/analyzing-utah-and-washingtons-new-ai-provenance-laws/ Troutman Pepper, "Analyzing Utah and Washington's New AI Provenance Laws," April 2026]</ref> Key provisions include:<br />
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* '''Manifest disclosures''': Providers must offer users the option to include clear, conspicuous labels identifying AI-generated or AI-modified content that are difficult to remove<ref name="troutman" /><br />
* '''Latent disclosures''': Watermarks or metadata must be embedded in AI-generated or materially altered images, video, and audio<ref name="opb" /><ref name="troutman" /><br />
* '''Free detection tools''': Covered providers must provide public AI detection tools<ref name="troutman" /><br />
* '''Material alteration standard''': Significant changes require disclosure, but minor edits like resizing, cropping, or color adjustments do not<ref name="troutman" /><br />
* '''Effective date''': February 1, 2027<ref name="troutman" /><br />
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=== HB 2225 — AI Companion Chatbot Safety ===<br />
HB 2225, signed on '''March 24, 2026''', regulates AI companion chatbots — defined as AI systems with natural language interfaces that provide adaptive, human-like responses, exhibit anthropomorphic features, and sustain relationships across multiple interactions.<ref name="hunton">[https://www.hunton.com/privacy-and-cybersecurity-law-blog/washington-state-enacts-law-regulating-ai-companion-chatbots-with-private-right-of-action Hunton, "Washington State Enacts Law Regulating AI Companion Chatbots With Private Right of Action," March 2026]</ref><ref name="mayerbrown">[https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2026/04/washington-and-oregon-regulate-ai-companions-key-compliance-changes Mayer Brown, "Washington and Oregon Regulate AI Companions: Key Compliance Changes," April 2026]</ref> Key requirements include:<br />
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* Operators must clearly disclose that the chatbot is artificial and not human<ref name="hunton" /><br />
* Disclosures must appear at the start of interaction, with reminders every three hours for adults and every hour for minors<ref name="hunton" /><br />
* For minors: prohibition on sexually explicit content, mandatory "take a break" prompts, restrictions on engagement-maximizing tactics, and bans on emotional manipulation<ref name="mayerbrown" /><br />
* The definition excludes bots used solely for business operations, customer service, or technical assistance that do not sustain relationships, as well as video game bots and standalone voice assistants<ref name="hunton" /><br />
* '''Effective date''': January 1, 2027<ref name="hunton" /><br />
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=== SB 5395 — AI in Health Insurance Prior Authorization ===<br />
SB 5395 increases restrictions on the use of AI in prior authorizations by health insurance carriers, requiring human oversight and preventing purely algorithmic denial of coverage determinations.<ref name="transparency" /><ref name="techpolicy">[https://techpolicy.press/march-2026-us-tech-policy-roundup Tech Policy Press, "March 2026 US Tech Policy Roundup"]</ref><br />
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=== SSB 5886 — AI Deepfakes and Personality Rights ===<br />
SSB 5886, signed on '''March 16, 2026''', amends Washington's Personality Rights Law to address the use of a person's "forged digital likeness" without consent, expanding existing property rights law to cover AI-created realistic but deceptive audio and video.<ref name="jdsupra">[https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/washington-state-expands-personality-8102599/ JD Supra, "Washington State Expands Personality Rights Law to Address AI Deepfakes," 2026]</ref> The law takes effect on '''June 11, 2026'''.<ref name="jdsupra" /><br />
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== Context ==<br />
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Washington's legislative action is part of a broader wave of state-level AI regulation in early 2026, even as the federal government moves toward preempting state laws.<ref name="techpolicy" /> These bills passed the same week as the Commerce Department identified multiple state AI laws as conflicting with national policy.<ref name="bakerbotts">[https://ourtake.bakerbotts.com/post/102mirs/march-2026-federal-deadlines-that-will-reshape-the-ai-regulatory-landscape Baker Botts, "March 2026 Federal Deadlines That Will Reshape the AI Regulatory Landscape"]</ref><br />
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Washington's HB 1170 parallels Oregon's SB 1546 and California's SB 1000 in establishing AI content provenance requirements, while HB 2225 mirrors companion chatbot safety laws in California (SB 243) and Oregon (SB 1546).<ref name="mayerbrown" /><br />
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== See Also ==<br />
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* [[News Oregon-SB-1546-AI-Companion-Law-2026|Oregon SB 1546 (AI Companion Law)]]<br />
* [[News California-SB-1000-AI-Content-Provenance-2026|California SB 1000 (AI Content Provenance)]]<br />
* [[News Commerce-Dept-State-AI-Laws-Assessment-2026|Commerce Dept Assessment of State AI Laws]]<br />
* [[News White-House-National-Policy-Framework-AI-2026|White House National Policy Framework for AI]]<br />
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== References ==<br />
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<references /><br />
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''See individual article: [[News Washington-State-AI-Bills-2026|Washington State AI Bills]]''<br />
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== Categories ==<br />
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[[Category:California]]<br />
[[Category:Cases Against OpenAI]]<br />
[[Category:Chatbot Regulation]]<br />
[[Category:Child Safety]]<br />
[[Category:Copyright Litigation]]<br />
[[Category:Deepfakes]]<br />
[[Category:Employment]]<br />
[[Category:Healthcare AI]]<br />
[[Category:Publishing Industry]]<br />
[[Category:State Legislation]]<br />
[[Category:Transparency]]<br />
[[Category:Washington]]<br />
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