GoKawiilYou probably rarely, if ever, think about copyright law. But if you want to understand why there are so many lawsuits being filed against AI companies, knowing a bit about copyright law is key. And whether you know it or not, these issues affect you.
If you've ever written a blog post, taken a photo or created an original video, you're a copyright owner. That's most of us, which means that copyright law -- its protections, limitations and application -- is more relevant to you than you might've thought. Sadly, copyright in the age of generative AI is something of a mess.
The race to develop the most advanced AI models shows no sign of slowing anytime soon. In order to create those next-gen models, tech companies are looking for a lot of high-quality, human-generated content. They need these works to make their AI models better, whether that's giving a chatbot a more lifelike personality or an image generator more artistic styles to reference. On the flip side, AI enthusiasts might be wondering if it's possible to receive copyright protection for AI-enabled creative works.
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Most AI companies have been very vague about what content they use, which has led to more than 30-plus lawsuits winding their way through US courts. You might have heard of some of the most notable, like The New York Times v. OpenAI, in which the publisher alleges that ChatGPT used reporters' stories verbatim without proper attribution or permission.
I spend a lot of time thinking about copyright and AI in my work reporting on AI creative services. I've interviewed intellectual property lawyers, spoken with many concerned creators, and spent way too much time breaking down legalese from government agencies. I've used that experience to make this guide on what you need to know about copyright in the age of AI, which we'll keep updating as things change.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
What is copyright?
Copyright is a set of expressed rights that protect "original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced or otherwise communicated," according to the Copyright Act of 1976.
In other words, copyright is a legal protection that gives original authors the rights to and control over their original works. Copyright protection can apply to books, art, music, movies, computer programs, blogs, architectural designs, plays, choreography and more. We're all copyright owners. As the US Copyright Office puts it: "Once you create an original work and fix it, like taking a photograph, writing a poem or blog or recording a new song, you are the author and the owner."
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