AI authors – what a US lawsuit could mean for UK IP law

In a recent US lawsuit, two authors have sued OpenAI for copyright infringement, claiming that the company used their copyrighted works to ‘train’ the AI systems without their prior consent.

In an article for The Trademark Lawyer, partner Dennis Lee discusses the case in detail, reflecting what this case regarding AI authors might look like in the UK, where the copyright restrictions are stricter.

Discussing AI authors, Dennis Lee states:

‘Beyond the traditional economic measures, authors in the UK could consider relying on infringement of their moral rights, particularly the right to object to the derogatory treatment of their work. In other words, they could argue that the AI’s unauthorized use of their work might alter its meaning, potentially damaging their reputation or the work’s artistic value. Until this argument is tested in a case, it is difficult to predict how this argument would be viewed by the courts in such an unprecedented context.’

The full article is available to read on The Trademark Lawyer website.