“Groundbreaking Ruling: How a Landmark Case is Redefining Copyright in the Age of AI”
In the ever-evolving landscape of technology and law, the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright has always been a bit of a grenade waiting to go off. Can you imagine a world where your favorite AI is hanging out in a courtroom, getting grilled by a judge over the mere act of being trained on existing works? Back in March 2023, I waved my proverbial crystal ball and suggested that court guidance would soon grace us, specifically from the case of Thomson Reuters Enterprise Center GMBH and West Publishing Corp. V Ross Intelligence, Inc. Guess what? I was right—eventually! On February 11, we saw the first U.S. court decision tackle the thorny issue of copyright infringement related to AI training, a ruling that surprisingly leans in favor of those pesky rightsholders. With all the hype and confusion swirling around AI, this ruling lays down a marker that many will need to heed. Let’s dive into what this all means and, perhaps more crucially, why it matters. If you’re excited to untangle the complexities of copyright in the age of AI, you’ll want to stick around. LEARN MORE.Back in March of 2023, when there were only a handful of cases alleging copyright infringement for training purposes by AI companies, I predicted that we would soon have some guidance from the court in Thomson Reuters Enterprise Center GMBH and West Publishing Corp. V Ross Intelligence, Inc. Predicting the timing of court decisions is a fool’s errand, and this fool was repeatedly wrong in his predictions on timing. Nonetheless, on February 11, the Ross case did in fact become the first US decision on the merits to directly address copying to train AI. Now we have a clear decision, and it is favorable for rightsholders.
