A US District Court Judge has ruled that AI-generated artwork cannot be copyrighted, stating that “human authorship is a bedrock requirement of copyright.” The ruling came in response to a lawsuit against the US Copyright Office after it refused to grant copyright to Stephen Thaler for an AI-generated image made with the Creativity Machine algorithm he’d created. The judge acknowledged that artists will use AI as a tool to create new work, creating “challenging questions regarding how much human input is necessary” to copyright AI-created art.
Oregon has become the twelfth state in the US to enact comprehensive data privacy legislation with the signing of the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (OCPA). The OCPA applies to any person that conducts business in Oregon and controls or processes the personal data of either at least 100,000 Oregon residents or at least 25,000 Oregon residents while deriving at least 25% of its revenue from the sale of personal data. The OCPA lacks several common exemptions found in other state privacy laws and has various unique definitions. The OCPA will go into effect on July 1, 2024.
Tech lobbyists have been successful in influencing state privacy laws in the US, according to a Politico analysis. The report found that the tech industry has won a series of victories in 11 states, with lawmakers enacting bills that bear hallmarks of lobbying influence. The industry has been pushing through industry-friendly laws and successfully watering down any legislation that would impose stronger privacy protections. The tech lobby’s success in the states has also changed its calculus in Washington, D.C., with lobbyists spending less time and money on Congress.
Why do we care?
The US copyright office has taken this position too, which will be a critical insight for AI users. It’s a tool to help, not an independent solution that stands on its own. When framed this way, the path to customer success seems relatively straightforward.
The legislation game is happening at the state level, and that disperse approach is significantly more challenging for customers and privacy advocates. For providers, it makes consulting and advising particularly complex.