Copyright Denied For AI-Generated Images By Midjourney.ai Due To Lack of Human Authorship: Why This Matters

The US Copyright Office has canceled the registration for images created by feeding text prompts to Midjourney, an AI image generator, for a comic book, stating that they are not the product of human authorship. The creator's lawyer disagrees. Midjourney's developers use extra prompt sets to ensure their output looks impressive, even with random prompting. The question arises whether Midjourney's developers are part owners of anything created using their AI due to their secret practice of auto-prompt-completion.

Why does this matter?

1. Legal Precedent: This ruling by the US Copyright Office sets a legal precedent that could impact future cases involving AI-generated content, particularly in the creative arts, where the question of authorship is critical.
2. Intellectual Property Rights: The decision highlights the need for clarity around intellectual property rights for AI-generated content, especially as AI technology advances and becomes more prevalent in the creative industries.
3. Creativity and Innovation: The ruling also raises important questions about the role of AI in the creative process and whether it can truly be considered a creative or innovative tool without human involvement.
4. Future of Copyright Law: As AI-generated content becomes more common, copyright law will need to evolve to reflect this new reality. This case may serve as a starting point for discussions around how to protect the rights of creators and ensure that AI-generated works are appropriately attributed.
5. Impact on Industries: The decision could have significant implications for industries that rely on AI-generated content, such as advertising, graphic design, and entertainment. It may also impact the development of new technologies and tools that enable the creation of AI-generated content.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/ai-created-images-lose-us-copyrights-test-new-technology-2023-02-22/