By Aditya Kalra and Munsif Vengattil

NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT )-backed OpenAI's

chief Sam Altman is planning to visit India next week, three

sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, in what could

be his first visit in two years at a time when the company faces

legal challenges in the country.

The sources said Altman has scheduled his trip to New Delhi

for Feb. 5. One of the sources said a meeting with government

officials was also on the cards.

But the schedule is not finalised and his plans could still

change, the people said.

OpenAI, India's IT ministry and Prime Minister Narendra

Modi's office did not respond to requests for comment.

OpenAI has said India is its second-largest market by number

of users, after the United States.

Altman visited India in 2023 when he met Modi in New Delhi

and discussed the potential of AI in boosting India's tech

ecosystem.

Since then, OpenAI has faced several legal challenges in

India. A lawsuit against it claiming breaches of copyright began

last year after local news agency ANI challenged it in a New

Delhi court.

Book publishers and almost a dozen digital media outlets,

including those owned by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Gautam

Adani, have also since joined the case.

OpenAI has said it only uses publicly available data in a

manner protected by fair use principles, and has said Indian

courts have no jurisdiction to hear the matter.

Separately, a global tech market rout was triggered this

week after the emergence of Chinese AI rival DeepSeek.

DeepSeek's AI Assistant has overtaken ChatGPT to become the

top-rated free app on Apple's App Store in the United States.