[IT Column] Copyright Risks of Generative AI Content and Corporate Response Strategies

Recently, generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI) technology has been rapidly spreading, and copyright issues related to content creation have become the center of new legal discussions. As AI now performs some of the creative activities that were previously performed only by humans, legal confusion regarding the definition of copyrighted works and ownership of rights is increasing.

The current copyright law defines a "copyrighted work" as "an expression of human creativity," so content independently generated solely by AI is difficult to recognize as a copyrighted work legally. Therefore, for AI content to receive copyright protection, human creative input is essential. It’s not enough to simply instruct AI; creative composition, editing, and arrangement of the results, along with active and creative human intervention, are essential.

Furthermore, the terms of service for generative AI platforms vary, and companies must be sure to check them. Some platforms assign a portion of the rights to the generated content to the platform itself, or place restrictions on commercial use, so caution is needed. Therefore, it is important for companies to carefully review AI platform terms of service and clearly reflect them in internal policies.

The risk of copyright infringement related to AI training data cannot be overlooked either. When companies train AI themselves, it is safest to use only public data or data with clear copyright; the use of uncertain data may result in legal risks. To effectively utilize generative AI while minimizing legal risks, accurate understanding and response strategies for these copyright issues are essential. 

Law firm Veat provides in-depth legal analysis and strategic advice to help companies safely manage and utilize copyright issues in the era of generative AI.

For more specific information related to this column, please refer to the Law firm Veat official blog.

• [IT Litigation] Copyright issues in the era of generative AI, and.. : Naver Blog

Thank you.
Law firm Veat