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Decoding developer authorship: Framing authorship in European Union copyright law in the age of generative AI

Myrén, Olivia LU (2025) LAGM01 20251
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
This thesis examines whether the developers of generative artificial intelligence (GENAI) systems can, and should, be recognised as authors under EU copyright framework for the images generated by their systems. Technological advances over the past decade have redefined traditional conceptions of creativity and copyright in ways that current legislation never anticipated. This study addresses a significant research gap, as previous studies have primarily focused on recognising the systems and their users as authors, while the copyright interests of developers have received limited attention.

The research is presented in three parts. The first part is technical in nature and examines the choices that developers can make during the... (More)
This thesis examines whether the developers of generative artificial intelligence (GENAI) systems can, and should, be recognised as authors under EU copyright framework for the images generated by their systems. Technological advances over the past decade have redefined traditional conceptions of creativity and copyright in ways that current legislation never anticipated. This study addresses a significant research gap, as previous studies have primarily focused on recognising the systems and their users as authors, while the copyright interests of developers have received limited attention.

The research is presented in three parts. The first part is technical in nature and examines the choices that developers can make during the development process of image generation systems. The second part outlines the legal norms that constitute the EU framework for authorship, with a primary focus on the InfoSoc Directive and the case law of the European Court of Justice. Subsequently, these legal norms are applied to a developer's scenario. The aim is to establish whether the development process enables developers to exercise the necessary free and creative choices to be recognised as authors of the images produced by their generative systems with user input. This systematic review shows that, although many choices are technical in nature, developers often exercise significant creative discretion. However, the system's design and the absence of direct causality between the developer's input and the final image can complicate their copyright claims. The analysis also includes the impact of user autonomy on the assertion of developers' free and creative choices.

The third part discusses whether classical justification theories such as utilitarianism, labour theory and personality theory support the recognition of developers as authors. To answer this question, it examines under what conditions each theory justifies the rights that EU copyright law entails, and to what ex-tent the rights of developers fulfil these conditions. The basis of the investigation reveals that, from a utilitarian perspective, recognising developers' rights can be justified when the economic incentives from GENAI systems are in-sufficient to stimulate investment, provided that the scope of protection re-mains proportional. Furthermore, labour theory suggests that significant work effort does not necessarily entitle one to full copyright protection, particularly when the indispensable contribution of the user is considered during the generation process. Lastly, it is concluded that personality theory only advocates recognition when the developer's creative idea is clearly defined through the system's fine-tuning and filtering processes. (Less)
Popular Abstract (Swedish)
Denna uppsats undersöker huruvida utvecklare av generativ artificiell intelligens (GENAI) system kan, och bör, erkännas som upphovsmän enligt EU:s upphovsrättsregler för de bilder som genereras med deras system. Teknikens framsteg under det senaste årtiondet har omdefinierat de traditionella föreställningarna om kreativitet och upphovsrätt på sätt som den nuvarande lagstiftningen aldrig avsåg. Genom denna ansats fylls en betydande forskningslucka, eftersom tidigare forskning främst har behandlat GENAI systemet alternativt användarna som alternativ för upphovsmannaskap, medan utvecklares upphovsrättsliga intressen hittills har fått begränsad uppmärksamhet.

Undersökningens material redogörs för i tre delar. Den första är av teknisk... (More)
Denna uppsats undersöker huruvida utvecklare av generativ artificiell intelligens (GENAI) system kan, och bör, erkännas som upphovsmän enligt EU:s upphovsrättsregler för de bilder som genereras med deras system. Teknikens framsteg under det senaste årtiondet har omdefinierat de traditionella föreställningarna om kreativitet och upphovsrätt på sätt som den nuvarande lagstiftningen aldrig avsåg. Genom denna ansats fylls en betydande forskningslucka, eftersom tidigare forskning främst har behandlat GENAI systemet alternativt användarna som alternativ för upphovsmannaskap, medan utvecklares upphovsrättsliga intressen hittills har fått begränsad uppmärksamhet.

Undersökningens material redogörs för i tre delar. Den första är av teknisk karaktär och undersöker de val utvecklaren kan göra under utvecklingsprocessen av bildgenereringssystemet. Den andra delen redogör för de normer som utgör EU:s ramverk för upphovsmannaskap, framför allt med fokus på InfoSoc-direktivet samt EU-domstolens praxis. Därefter appliceras de redovisade rättsnormerna på utvecklarens förutsättningar. Syftet är att utreda om utvecklingsprocessen ger utvecklaren utrymme att göra de fria och kreativa val. Dessa val är centrala för den rättsliga utredningen då de ligger till grund för om utvecklaren kan erkännas som upphovsman till de bilder som deras generativa system producerar. Denna systematiska genomgång visar att utvecklare ofta utövar betydande kreativt handlingsutrymme, även om många val är av teknisk karaktär. Samtidigt kan systemets design och avsaknaden av direkt kausalitet mellan utvecklarens insatts och den slutliga bilden försvåra utvecklares upphovsrättskrav. Uppsatsen analyserar också hur användarens autonomi påverkar möjligheten att hävda utvecklarens fria och kreativa val.
Uppsatsens tredje del avhandlar huruvida det finns belägg inom de klassiska rättfärdigandeteorierna utilitarism, arbetsteorin och personalitetsteorin för att erkänna utvecklarna som upphovsmän. För att besvara denna fråga utreds under vilka förutsättningar som respektive teori rättfärdigar de rättigheter som upphovsrätten inom EU medför samt i vilken grad upphovsmannaskap för utvecklaren uppfyller dessa förutsättningar. Underlaget för undersökningen visar att ur ett utilitaristiskt perspektiv kan erkännande av utvecklares rätt motiveras när de ekonomiska incitamenten från GENAI-systemet är otillräckliga för att stimulera investeringar, förutsatt att skyddets omfattning förblir proportionerlig. Vidare antyder arbetsteorin att betydande arbetsinsats inte nödvändigtvis berättigar till fullt upphovsrättsligt skydd, särskilt med beaktande av användarens oumbärliga bidrag vid genereringen. Avslutningsvis dras slutsatsen att personalitetsteorin förespråkar erkännande enbart när utvecklarens kreativa idé tydligt ramats in genom systemets finjustering och filtrering. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Myrén, Olivia LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGM01 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
copyright law, intellectual property protection, European Union law, generative artificial intelligence, AI-generated works, authorship, developer rights, originality, intellectual creation, InfoSoc Directive, CJEU jurisprudence, utilitarian theory, labour theory, personality theory, machine learning, neural networks, image generation, legal dogmatic method, technological innovation, digital creativity, AI-assisted artistic creation, technology law, computational creativity, legal tech innovation, digital creation processes, innovation policy
language
English
id
9212301
date added to LUP
2025-09-22 12:33:32
date last changed
2025-09-22 12:33:32
@misc{9212301,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines whether the developers of generative artificial intelligence (GENAI) systems can, and should, be recognised as authors under EU copyright framework for the images generated by their systems. Technological advances over the past decade have redefined traditional conceptions of creativity and copyright in ways that current legislation never anticipated. This study addresses a significant research gap, as previous studies have primarily focused on recognising the systems and their users as authors, while the copyright interests of developers have received limited attention.

The research is presented in three parts. The first part is technical in nature and examines the choices that developers can make during the development process of image generation systems. The second part outlines the legal norms that constitute the EU framework for authorship, with a primary focus on the InfoSoc Directive and the case law of the European Court of Justice. Subsequently, these legal norms are applied to a developer's scenario. The aim is to establish whether the development process enables developers to exercise the necessary free and creative choices to be recognised as authors of the images produced by their generative systems with user input. This systematic review shows that, although many choices are technical in nature, developers often exercise significant creative discretion. However, the system's design and the absence of direct causality between the developer's input and the final image can complicate their copyright claims. The analysis also includes the impact of user autonomy on the assertion of developers' free and creative choices.

The third part discusses whether classical justification theories such as utilitarianism, labour theory and personality theory support the recognition of developers as authors. To answer this question, it examines under what conditions each theory justifies the rights that EU copyright law entails, and to what ex-tent the rights of developers fulfil these conditions. The basis of the investigation reveals that, from a utilitarian perspective, recognising developers' rights can be justified when the economic incentives from GENAI systems are in-sufficient to stimulate investment, provided that the scope of protection re-mains proportional. Furthermore, labour theory suggests that significant work effort does not necessarily entitle one to full copyright protection, particularly when the indispensable contribution of the user is considered during the generation process. Lastly, it is concluded that personality theory only advocates recognition when the developer's creative idea is clearly defined through the system's fine-tuning and filtering processes.}},
  author       = {{Myrén, Olivia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Decoding developer authorship: Framing authorship in European Union copyright law in the age of generative AI}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}