Arquivos do Mês: January 2024

Undoubtedly, the intersection of intellectual property and artificial intelligence becomes increasingly relevant with the wide dissemination of technologies derived from it.

With 2024 beginning to take shape, the various areas of intellectual property are once again positioned as catalysts for transformation, with particular emphasis and attention being given to the intersection of intellectual property with artificial intelligence and the use of intellectual property as a tool for sustainable development.

Regarding the intersection of intellectual property with artificial intelligence, there is no doubt that this topic becomes increasingly relevant with the wide dissemination of technologies derived from it, such as ChatGPT, Jasper, and DALL-E2, creating a perspective for a society in which creativity and innovation, once characteristics unique to human beings, now involve collaboration between humans and machines.

In this sense, it is clear that this change of scenario raises crucial questions regarding how intellectual property can be applied to creations that result from joint efforts between humans and artificial intelligence, making it necessary to highlight issues involving ownership and authorship of creations and generated through these technologies, as well as the definition of legal responsibilities.

Regarding ownership and authorship, there is no consensus among jurists and different legislation on the subject, as some consider works created through collaboration between humans and artificial intelligence to be the property of the company that developed them. The technology algorithm, while another portion understands that the work would be owned and authored by the human interacting with the artificial intelligence.

Such discussions can and should be discussed this year and in the coming years in the National Congress, which regulates artificial intelligence in our country and defines a national fake intelligence policy through which parameters and guidelines for this technology will be described. , creating legal security for using, researching, and developing different types of artificial intelligence in the country.

About intellectual property as a driver of sustainable development, it is clear that this trend has already been observed by the Interministerial Group on Intellectual Property, which established, through its national strategy, a set of more than 200 actions to encourage an effective, balanced intellectual property system that encourages creativity, investments in innovation and access to knowledge.

Among these actions is the intention to conduct matchmaking in green technologies and training in the Amazon region, aiming to generate income from intellectual property assets, such as geographical indications and collective trademarks.

The trend of “green intellectual property” is not new. Still, it will undoubtedly expand in 2024, with the National Intellectual Property Institute announcing the establishment of the sustainability and biotechnology commission, which will focus on green patents, mentoring in geographical indications, a sustainable logistics program, and technological radars focusing on sustainable development.

Considering the relevance of environmentally responsible business for companies, another point of attention for this year will be the use of intellectual property as a vector for protecting products and services that incorporate ethical and sustainable principles, once again highlighting the convergence of intellectual property with governance environmental.

Thus, the prospects for intellectual property for this new year reveal a dynamic panorama, considering that it will be a tool to boost sustainable development and, at the same time, it will be essential to promote a balanced approach to the evolution of the intersection scenario with artificial intelligence.

Source: Correio Braziliense

If 2023 was the year that artificial intelligence changed everything, 2024 may be remembered as the year that US copyright law changed regarding AI.

The explosion of generative AI and the popularity of Microsoft-backed initiatives such as OpenAI, Meta, Midjourney, and others have resulted in several copyright cases brought by writers, artists, and other copyright holders who claim that AI has had success only thanks to their work.

Judges have so far been skeptical of plaintiffs’ claims of infringement based on AI-generated content. However, the courts have yet to address the more complicated and potentially billion-dollar question of whether AI companies are infringing on a massive scale by training their systems with vast amounts of images, writings, and other data obtained from the internet.

Tech companies warn that lawsuits could create significant obstacles for the growing AI industry. The plaintiffs claim the companies owe them for using their work without permission or compensation.

Several groups of authors filed class action lawsuits this year over the use of their texts in AI training. This includes writers like John Grisham and “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin, comedian Sarah Silverman and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

Tech companies have hired legions of lawyers from some of the biggest law firms in the US to take on the cases. They defended AI training in comments to the US Copyright Office, comparing it to how humans learn new concepts and arguing that their use of the material qualifies as “fair use” under copyright law.

What comes next?

An ongoing lawsuit involving Thomson Reuters – the parent company of Reuters News – could be one of the first significant AI indicators copyright issues.

The company accused Ross Intelligence in 2020 of illegally copying thousands of “headnotes” from its Westlaw legal research platform. The portal summarizes court decisions and was used to train an AI-based legal search engine.

A federal judge ruled in September that the Delaware case must go to trial to determine whether Ross violated the law. The lawsuit could set an essential precedent for fair use and AI copyright litigation issues. A jury could begin hearing the case as early as August.

Source: Forbes

2024 started with something special for Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse: the mouse became public domain (a transition that took place on January 1st). But detail: only the character’s first appearances in “Steamboat Willie” and “Plane Crazy” are in this new situation.

These animations date from 1928 and were Mickey’s debut to the public, together with his partner Minnie. The little mouse bears a lot of similarity to the current version. But, in addition to being black and white (and having other different details), the behavior is more mischievous and ruder (in fact, during most of the scenes in “Steamboat Willie”, Mickey has fun forcing animals to be musical instruments).

So, there are 95 years of animation history and, according to US law, the copyright on them has expired. And a lot of people were waiting for it.

Using Mickey sparingly

Despite Mickey Mouse’s entry into the public domain, copyright law in this regard remains complex. For example, newer design changes or depictions like Wizard Mickey from “Fantasia” are not included.

It is also not permitted to create works that falsely imply that they are from Disney, as Mickey is also a registered trademark of the company. To get a better idea of the differences between the “Mickeys”, check out the recent trailer for “Steamboat Silly”, the final episode of “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” which is part of the 100th-anniversary celebration of The Walt Disney Company:

Challenges and possible legal battles

Experts point out that creators who dare to use more recent elements of the character may receive legal warnings. In other words, putting the mouse in red shorts or white gloves goes beyond what is permitted.

Mickey Mouse is also a registered trademark. Kembrew McLeod, professor of communication and intellectual property scholar at the University of Iowa (USA), recalls that trademark law in the country deals entirely with the protection of trademarks, logos, and names – such as Mickey Mouse in the logo or, simply, the name Mickey Mouse.

“And, of course, there is no end to trademark law,” adds Ruth Okediji, a professor at Harvard Law School. She says that Disney and other companies use trademarks to increase control over intellectual property. “As long as the trademark remains distinctive in the provision of goods and services, the registered trademark owner can protect it.”

Source: Olhar Digital