The intellectual property rights of AI-generated content have sparked considerable debate. On March 7th, the Changshu People's Court in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, delivered a landmark ruling in a copyright infringement case, considered the first of its kind in Jiangsu Province and the second nationwide involving AI-generated content.
The case stemmed from a copyright dispute over an image Mr. Lin created using the Midjourney software. The Changshu People's Court thoroughly examined the case, starting with the relevant AI software user agreement. The court confirmed that the rights to images generated using the software belong to the user. The court also reviewed Mr. Lin's modifications to the prompts and his handling of image details during the creation process, concluding that his creative process demonstrated unique choices and arrangements, making the resulting image original and thus protected under copyright law.
The court found that the defendant's online dissemination of the image without Mr. Lin's permission constituted infringement. However, the court also defined the scope of the copyright, stating that Mr. Lin's copyright is limited to the image itself; the design of physical devices does not infringe on his copyright. This ruling aims to prevent excessive copyright protection and abuse of rights.
The court's final judgment included: 1) The infringing party must publicly apologize to Mr. Lin on their Xiaohongshu account for three consecutive days; 2) The infringing party must compensate Mr. Lin 10,000 yuan for economic losses and reasonable expenses; and 3) Mr. Lin's other litigation requests were dismissed. Following the verdict, neither party appealed, making the judgment final.
Key Highlights:
🌟 Jiangsu Province's first AI copyright infringement case concluded, with the court confirming the author's copyright.
🖼️ The Changshu People's Court ruled that Mr. Lin's creation process demonstrated originality, warranting copyright protection.
💰 The court ordered the infringing party to publicly apologize and pay 10,000 yuan in compensation. The judgment is final as no appeal was filed.
