There have been two important developments in recent weeks regarding the U.S. Copyright Office’s position on registering works created by the use of artificial intelligence technology. First, on February 21, the Copyright Office issued its much-anticipated decision regarding the registration of a graphic novel by artist Kristina Kashtanova that included images generated using the AI
A New Generation of Legal Issues Part 1:The Latest Chapter in Copyrightability of AI-Generated Works
Uncertainty continues as to whether and to what extent artificial intelligence-generated works can be protected by copyright under U.S. law. The U.S. Copyright Office recently raised the hopes of artists who use generative AI by agreeing to register the copyright in a graphic novel titled Zarya of the Dawn, whose author used the AI tool Midjourney to generate its images. However, the Copyright Office quickly reversed course and notified the applicant that it may cancel the registration because it was not aware that the images were computer-generated. The Copyright Office asked the artist to provide details of her creative process to show “substantial human involvement” in the process of creating the graphic novel.