3 Count: AI Copyright

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1: The US Copyright Office Says an AI Can’t Copyright its Art

First off today, Adi Robertson at The Verge reports that the U.S. Copyright Office has declined to register the copyright of an AI-created image that it says did not include an element of “human authorship.”

The decision was made by the three-person Copyright Review Board, which was reviewing an earlier denial of registration by the U.S. Copyright Office on the work. The work, entitled A Recent Entrance to Paradise, was created by an algorithm dubbed Creativity Machine.

The board agreed with the previous rejection, saying that the work required a necessary degree of human input to qualify for copyright protection. However, the board stopped well short of saying that all AI works would not qualify, noting that many AI works have a significant degree of human involvement.

2: U.S. Figure Skaters and NBC Sued for Copyright Infringement Over Song Used in Olympic Routine

Next up today, Jen Juneau and Adam Carlson reports that two U.S. figure skaters along with NBC have been hit with a lawsuit by the musical due the Heavy Young Heathens over an Olympic performance that saw the skaters use their version of House of the Rising Sun.

The lawsuit names the two skaters, Brandon Frazier and Alexa Knierim, along with NBCUniveersal Media, Comcast, Peacock and others. According to the lawsuit, the skaters used the band’s cover of House of the Rising Sun for their performance but without permission or authorization.

The lawsuit claims that the song is a valuable licensing asset and notes that it has appeared in several films, TV shows and advertisements.

3: US Adds AliExpress and WeChat to Online Fraud and Piracy List

Finally today, Max Slater-Robins at Techradar reports that the United States has added both AliExpress and WeChat to its list of notorious markets for copyright infringement.

The list is put out by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and tracks marketplaces that, according to it, are not doing enough to protect copyright and are havens for piracy. The list includes some 42 online markets and 35 physical markets.

The list is released annually, and this one is notable for its inclusion of several marketplaces owned by prominent Chinese companies Alibaba and Tencent. However, it isn’t the first time Chinese companies have been placed on the list, they have been a staple for some times, nor is it the first time an Alibaba market has been included, with Taobao having been added to the list previously and also appearing in this one.

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