U.S. Copyright Office Generative AI Event: Three Key Takeaways; IP Watchdog, June 29, 2023

 FRANKLIN GRAVES, IP Watchdog; U.S. Copyright Office Generative AI Event: Three Key Takeaways

"There’s a need for guidance and insight when it comes to the use of AI and ML technologies, including generative AI technologies, as evidenced by the more than 150 audience questions received during the live stream. The Office also noted that 1,500 people attended the virtual meeting. While the event focused exclusively on registration and protection of the output of generative AI tools, it’s important to remember there are additional issues along the entire lifecycle of generative AI.

At the end of the event, the USCO announced its next public webinar, “International Copyright Issues and Artificial Intelligence,” scheduled for July 26, 2023. The discussion will cover not only authorship but also training and infringement. Additionally, the event will feature leading international experts, including Columbia Law School’s Jane Ginsburg, the University of Sussex’s Andres Guadamuz, the University of Amsterdam’s Bernt Hugenholtz, and KU Leuven’s Luca Schirru, and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya’s Raquel Xalabarder Plantada."

Copyright Office Refuses to ‘Register Works Entirely Generated by AI’; Peta Pixel, June 28, 2023

 MATT GROWCOOT, PetaPixel; Copyright Office Refuses to ‘Register Works Entirely Generated by AI’

"The United States Copyright Office (USCO) has doubled down on its stance regarding artificial intelligence (AI), stating unequivocally that it will not register works generated entirely by AI.

In a webinar today, the Copyright Office states clearly that it views AI-generated content as “unclaimable material” ranking it alongside other unclaimable material such as previously published material, previously registered material, public domain material, and copyright material owned by another party. 

“The Office will refuse to register works entirely generated by AI,” says Robert Kasunic of the USCO. “Human authorship is a precondition to copyrightability.”

It means there is no change since March when the Office issued guidance where it likened text prompts to “instructions to a commissioned artist.” Essentially comparing them to a magazine editor hiring a photographer.

“Today’s webinar made a few things clear: 1) Appreciable Human Authorship is still the main requirement of copyrightability; 2) the USCO is expecting applicants to become much more comfortable with the procedure to disclaim materials,” says Thomas Maddrey of the American Media Society of Photographers (ASMP)."

Using AI to Create a Work – Copyright Protection and Infringement; JD Supra, June 27, 2023

Amy Goldsmith, Janet Linn, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP, JD Supra; Using AI to Create a Work – Copyright Protection and Infringement

"Requirements For Past and Current Copyright Applications

Applicants are now required to disclose in their applications any AI-generated content and provide a brief explanation of the human author’s contribution. Any AI-generated content that is more than a tiny portion of the work must be explicitly excluded.

Pending applications must be corrected to conform to the new regulations. Applicants will need to contact the Copyright Office’s Public Information Office should a pending application not adequately disclose any AI-generated content.

For works already registered containing AI-generated material, a supplementary registration will be required describing the original material created by the human author and disclaiming the AI-generated material. Works with sufficient human authorship will be issued a supplementary registration certificate with a disclaimer of the AI-generated content."

Webinar: Registration Guidance for Works Containing AI-generated Content; U.S. Copyright Office, Wednesday, June 28, 2023 2 PM EDT

 U.S. Copyright Office; Webinar: Registration Guidance for Works Containing AI-generated Content

"Breakthroughs in generative AI technology have prompted growing curiosity about the registrability of works containing AI-generated material. On June 28, 2023, join the Copyright Office to learn about how the Office evaluates applications to register these types of works. Experts will walk attendees through the Office’s March 2023 Registration Guidance: Works Containing Material Generated by Artificial Intelligence and answer some frequently asked questions. At the end of the presentation, attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions to the Office’s experts.

Time: June 28, 2023, 2pm ET

Speakers:

• Rob Kasunic, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice
• Erik Bertin, Deputy Director of Registration Policy and Practice"