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Artificiell intelligens inom upphovsrätt och behovet av internationell harmonisering

Person, Lisa LU (2024) JURM02 20241
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated rapidly in recent years, and AI tools that can be used for advanced cognitive and perceptual tasks are appearing in all areas of life. It did not take long before it was also realized that AI could be used for literature and art. In a matter of seconds, advanced works of art and literature can be produced at the touch of a button using so-called generative AI. This has led many to question whether, to what extent and on what grounds protection can be obtained for this category of works.

Compared to other areas of law, intellectual property law, and in particular copyright law, has been subject to extensive international harmonisation efforts. This is because intellectual... (More)
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated rapidly in recent years, and AI tools that can be used for advanced cognitive and perceptual tasks are appearing in all areas of life. It did not take long before it was also realized that AI could be used for literature and art. In a matter of seconds, advanced works of art and literature can be produced at the touch of a button using so-called generative AI. This has led many to question whether, to what extent and on what grounds protection can be obtained for this category of works.

Compared to other areas of law, intellectual property law, and in particular copyright law, has been subject to extensive international harmonisation efforts. This is because intellectual property rights, which, unlike tangible goods, cannot be physically confined within the borders of a particular country, are by their nature highly international. The desire to ensure that the rights of national authors are also protected abroad, together with the value of intellectual property rights as international commodities, has therefore led to a number of international conventions, such as the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which together establish a harmonised global minimum level of protection for copyright works.

The advent of AI in the field of copyright raises the question of whether this relative global consensus has been disrupted. Unlike previous technologies that have impacted copyright, AI is fundamentally new in that it reduces the need for human creativity, or perhaps replaces it altogether. Even at this early stage, it is clear that different countries have taken different approaches to how AI works should be protected under their respective copyright regimes. In the United States, a series of decisions by the United States Copyright Office suggest that the use of so-called prompts to create works is not considered sufficient for copyright protection, regardless of how many such prompts are used. In contrast, countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India and South Africa offer specific protection for works created by computers without human intervention, and countries such as Canada and India have allowed the AI tool itself to be registered as a co-author of the work. This raises the question of whether the international copyright framework is sufficient to deal with developments in AI, or whether there is a need for further harmonisation.

The paper examines this question from a number of perspectives, including economic, ethical and legal. The conclusion is that several circumstances indicate that further harmonisation is desirable, at least from a Swedish perspective. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
På senare år har utvecklingen av artificiell intelligens (AI) gått i raketfart och AI-verktyg som kan användas för avancerade kognitiva och perceptuella uppgifter dyker upp i alla områden av livet. Det tog inte lång tid innan det även insågs att AI kunde användas inom litteraturen och konsten. På sekunder kan avancerade litterära och konstnärliga verk numera åstadkommas med ett enkelt knapptryck, med hjälp av det som kallas generativ AI. Detta har lett till att många ifrågasätter om, i vilken utsträckning och på vilka grunder skydd kan erhållas för denna kategori av verk.

Jämfört med andra rättsområden har immaterialrätt, och särskilt upphovsrätt, genomgått omfattande internationella harmoniseringsinsatser. Detta beror på att... (More)
På senare år har utvecklingen av artificiell intelligens (AI) gått i raketfart och AI-verktyg som kan användas för avancerade kognitiva och perceptuella uppgifter dyker upp i alla områden av livet. Det tog inte lång tid innan det även insågs att AI kunde användas inom litteraturen och konsten. På sekunder kan avancerade litterära och konstnärliga verk numera åstadkommas med ett enkelt knapptryck, med hjälp av det som kallas generativ AI. Detta har lett till att många ifrågasätter om, i vilken utsträckning och på vilka grunder skydd kan erhållas för denna kategori av verk.

Jämfört med andra rättsområden har immaterialrätt, och särskilt upphovsrätt, genomgått omfattande internationella harmoniseringsinsatser. Detta beror på att immateriella rättigheter, som inte kan fysiskt begränsas till ett visst lands gränser på samma sätt som materiella varor, naturligt präglas av en hög grad av internationalitet. En önskan att säkerställa att inhemska upphovsmäns rättigheter skyddas även utomlands, tillsammans med de immateriella rättigheternas värde som internationella handelsobjekt, har därför utmynnat i flera världstäckande konventioner, såsom Bernkonventionen för skydd av litterära och konstnärliga verk, som tillsammans etablerar ett harmoniserat globalt minimiskydd för upphovsrättsliga verk.

Med AI:s intåg på upphovsrättens område väcks frågan om denna relativa globala samsyn har rubbats. Till skillnad från tidigare teknik som har påverkat upphovsrätten är AI något fundamentalt nytt i och med att det minskar behovet av mänsklig kreativitet, eller kanske ersätter det helt och hållet. Redan i detta tidiga skede står det klart att olika länder har antagit skiljaktiga förhållningssätt till hur AI-verk ska skyddas enligt deras respektive upphovsrättssystem. I USA tyder ett antal beslut från United States Copyright Office på att användningen av så kallade prompts för att generera verk inte anses vara tillräckligt för upphovsrättsligt skydd, oavsett hur många sådana prompts som används. Länder som Storbritannien, Irland, Nya Zeeland, Hongkong, Indien och Sydafrika erbjuder däremot särskilt skydd för verk som genereras av datorer utan mänsklig inblandning, och länder som Kanada och Indien har tillåtit att AI-verktyget i sig registreras som gemensam upphovsman till verket. Detta väcker frågan om det internationella ramverket för upphovsrätt är tillräckligt för att hantera utvecklingen inom AI, eller om det finns behov av ytterligare harmonisering.

Denna fråga utreds inom ramen för uppsatsen med hänsyn till ett antal olika infallsvinklar såsom ekonomiska, etiska och rättsliga perspektiv. Slutsatsen är att flera omständigheter talar för att ytterligare harmonisering är önskvärt, åtminstone utifrån ett svenskt perspektiv. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Person, Lisa LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Artificial intelligence in copyright and the need for international harmonisation
course
JURM02 20241
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
immaterialrätt, intellectual property law, internationell rätt, international law, artificiell intelligens, artificial intelligence, AI, upphovsrätt, copyright, harmonisering, harmonisation, harmonization
language
Swedish
id
9151660
date added to LUP
2024-06-17 17:51:33
date last changed
2024-06-17 17:51:33
@misc{9151660,
  abstract     = {{The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated rapidly in recent years, and AI tools that can be used for advanced cognitive and perceptual tasks are appearing in all areas of life. It did not take long before it was also realized that AI could be used for literature and art. In a matter of seconds, advanced works of art and literature can be produced at the touch of a button using so-called generative AI. This has led many to question whether, to what extent and on what grounds protection can be obtained for this category of works.

Compared to other areas of law, intellectual property law, and in particular copyright law, has been subject to extensive international harmonisation efforts. This is because intellectual property rights, which, unlike tangible goods, cannot be physically confined within the borders of a particular country, are by their nature highly international. The desire to ensure that the rights of national authors are also protected abroad, together with the value of intellectual property rights as international commodities, has therefore led to a number of international conventions, such as the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which together establish a harmonised global minimum level of protection for copyright works.

The advent of AI in the field of copyright raises the question of whether this relative global consensus has been disrupted. Unlike previous technologies that have impacted copyright, AI is fundamentally new in that it reduces the need for human creativity, or perhaps replaces it altogether. Even at this early stage, it is clear that different countries have taken different approaches to how AI works should be protected under their respective copyright regimes. In the United States, a series of decisions by the United States Copyright Office suggest that the use of so-called prompts to create works is not considered sufficient for copyright protection, regardless of how many such prompts are used. In contrast, countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, India and South Africa offer specific protection for works created by computers without human intervention, and countries such as Canada and India have allowed the AI tool itself to be registered as a co-author of the work. This raises the question of whether the international copyright framework is sufficient to deal with developments in AI, or whether there is a need for further harmonisation. 

The paper examines this question from a number of perspectives, including economic, ethical and legal. The conclusion is that several circumstances indicate that further harmonisation is desirable, at least from a Swedish perspective.}},
  author       = {{Person, Lisa}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Artificiell intelligens inom upphovsrätt och behovet av internationell harmonisering}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}