Authored by: Seagull Song
In November 2023, Beijing Internet Court rendered a verdict in China’s first case concerning the copyrightability of AI-generated pictures LI v. LIU, which ruling triggered mixed reactions among the AI industry and the public. The plaintiff, Mr. LI (the “Plaintiff”), filed a copyright lawsuit alleging that the defendant, Ms. LIU, a blogger on Baijiahao platform (the “Defendant”), violated his copyrights in the AI-generated picture, including his right of authorship and the right of dissemination via information networks. In its decision, Beijing Internet Court found that the AI-generated picture was a copyrightable work involving human authorship and that Defendant was liable for copyright infringement.