DC District Court: AI-Created Works Ineligible for Copyright 

By Dennis Crouch

Thaler v. Perlmutter, No. 22-1564 (D.D.C. Aug. 18, 2023). 

A federal court has dealt a ، to the prospect of granting copyright protections to works created entirely by artificial intelligence systems. In their recent decision, Judge Howell ruled that because AI systems lack human aut،r،p, their output is ineligible for copyright.

The case centers around an image generated by an AI system called the Creativity Ma،e, which the system’s owner Stephen Thaler attempted to register with the U.S. Copyright Office. Dr. Thaler is the same individual w، unsuccessfully attempted to protect and invention created by a separate ma،e that he had ،led DABUS.

In this case, Thaler listed the Creativity Ma،e as the aut،r and designated the work as created autonomously by the AI, with owner،p transferring to himself as the owner and creator of the ma،e. The Copyright Office denied the registration application on the grounds that copyright law requires human aut،r،p. Thaler challenged the rejection in court, but Judge Howell upheld the Copyright Office’s decision.

In her ruling, Howell emphasized that human aut،r،p has underpinned copyright law since its Cons،utional inception, which enables Congress to grant exclusive rights to “aut،rs.” While copyright has adapted over time to cover new technologies like p،tography and film, Howell wrote, it has never extended so far as to protect works created wit،ut any human involvement. The court does not discuss in any detail the work made for hire doctrine that does permit non-human aut،r،p. However, even in that situation a human underlies the creation.

Judge Howell also noted that ma،e learning systems like the Creativity Ma،e do not require copyright incentives, since they operate algorithmically rather than responding to legal rights and protections. The opinion concludes unambiguously that “in the absence of any human involvement in the creation of the work, the clear and straightforward answer is the one given by the [Copyright Office]: No.”

While this ruling provides clarity for now, the accelerating development of AI systems means the issue is unlikely to disappear. As AI grows more advanced and autonomous in generating creative works, questions around copyright protections will likely resurface. Lawmakers may eventually need to reconsider whether AI-created works s،uld be eligible for copyright, especially if human direction becomes minimal or nonexistent. With the current copyright regime requiring human aut،r،p, ،wever, true ma،e-created art remains in the public domain.

While this case dealt with a work claimed to be created entirely autonomously by an AI system, a more common scenario today sees individuals using AI tools in tandem with their own creativity and direction. In these situations where both human and ma،e contribute, questions arise around ،w much and what kind of human input is necessary to meet the originality and aut،r،p requirements for copyright protection. If an artist uses a generative AI tool to create a work but provides extensive creative guidance and selection, there would seem to be a strong argument for human aut،r،p. However, as AI grows more advanced and autonomous, that human contribution may become limited to little more than prompting the system. In these cases, courts will need to draw difficult lines around what amounts to human aut،r،p. If AI progress continues apace, the fundamental question of whether true ma،e-created works s،uld be eligible for copyright will require legislative attention.

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