As the government considers how to grapple with AI technology, the US Copyright Office announced that it will begin taking public comments on AI and copyright issues. The government seeks to provide answers to three primary concerns, which were published in the Federal Register.
First is how AI models should use copyrighted data in training. Second is whether AI-generated content can be protected by copyright even without human involvement. And third, how copyright liability would function with AI.
The office also requests feedback on the cases where AI might infringe on publicity rights. However, it recognises that these are not copyright concerns. According to the Copyright Office, if AI mimics voices, likenesses, or artistic styles, it may have an influence on state-mandated publicity regulations and unfair competition legislation.
Written comments must be sent to the Copyright Office by October 18th, and responses on the other issues must be sent by November 15th.
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Politicians, artists, authors, and even civil rights organizations are interested in the copyright status of AI training data and the output of generative AI tools, making this a viable pilot project for future AI legislation.
The Copyright Office states that over the past several years, it has begun to receive applications to register works containing AI-generated material. The office might take the remarks into consideration when deciding how much copyright to grant in the future.
After declining to allow Stephen Thaler rights to an image produced by an AI platform, the Copyright Office ended up involved in a legal dispute last year. A Washington DC, court sided with the US Copyright Office in the case earlier this month, ruling that no work can ever receive copyright without a human being participating.
