Cate Blanchett-backed Human Consent Foundation files brief backing NYT in OpenAI/Microsoft suit, saying licensing at scale already exists

What happened

Late on Friday 30 October 2026, the Human Consent Foundation, a nonprofit backed by Cate Blanchett, filed a 31-page amicus brief in The New York Times' copyright suit against OpenAI and Microsoft in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, backing the Times' request for summary judgment, according to reporting by Variety relayed by multiple outlets.

The argument

The brief disputes the defendants' claims that clearing rights for AI training is cost-prohibitive and that there is no settled means of valuing training data. It argues the creative industries already have proven infrastructure and workflows to clear rights for dispersed works at scale and cost-effectively, and that an active licensing market exists. The brief was joined by CAA, the Music Artists Coalition, the National Association of Voice Actors, Writer, Inc. and the Creative Coalition on AI, with an appendix of supporting stars including Anne Hathaway, Emma Thompson, Madonna, Scarlett Johansson and Julia Roberts.

Sourcing note

This item rests on secondary reporting of the filing (Variety, via Mezha and other relays); no court filing document or docket link was attached at the time of submission. It is distinct from the unions' amicus brief filed a day earlier and from any other multi-organisation brief.