Awareness on copyright laws vital for AI-generated works
Copyright is an inherent right given exclusively to humans, so, it can be given to the person behind AI work but not to the machine, says Dr Raghavender
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam Dr G R Raghavender, former Joint Secretary and Registrar of Copyrights, Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice, on Thursday underlined the need for awareness on copyright legislation on AI-generated works.
He enlightened the context of paradigm shift on what copyright can be given and its legal rights. Moreover, he discussed rising concern on AI-generated works and its interference with the Copyright Act with some examples.
He was speaking during the technical session at a webinar organised by DPIIT-IPR Chair, Centre for Intellectual Property Rights in association with Dr B R Ambedkar College of Law, and Institution’s Innovation Council of Andhra University on “AI-Generated Works: Authorship and Ownership under the Copyright Act, 1957.”
He said the Copyright Act was enacted on June 4, 1957 in India. This national webinar was an effort to celebrate the anniversary of that event and raise awareness on Copyright Law in India.
The expert said: “Copyright is an inherent right given exclusively to humans but not to machines, as AI is a general-purpose assisting technology which cannot replace the human’s thoughts/expressions. AI-generated work is just a derivative work adapted from an external person. So, the copyright can be given to the person behind AI work but not to the machine”.
He further said: “the very act of machine learning is not an infringement of the Copyright Act but the output of that learning without getting the consent from the original author of that work is infringement of Copyright”.
Prof Purushotham Hanumanthu, the IPR Chair Professor, said that about 862 students, faculties, advocates, IP professionals and entrepreneurs from 18 States/Union Territories of India registered for the programme. In his address, he mentioned that there is a strong need to create awareness about Copyright and AI-generated works, as in the AI age, among the faculties and students it plays an important role in every aspect of human life.
Prof Vijaya Lakshmi, Principal, Dr B R Ambedkar College of Law, AU mentioned that by granting exclusive rights to creators, promoting fair use, and adapting to changing times, the Copyright Act has played a vital role in fostering creativity, protecting intellectual property, and promoting the growth of India’s creative industries.
