⚖️ Court Denies Copyright Protection for AI-Generated Images

The legal dispute arose when an independent entrepreneur used the artwork on merchandise—including T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and thermal tumblers. The plaintiff sought compensation for alleged design copyright infringement, but the court ruled in favor of the defendant.

During proceedings, the plaintiff argued that significant human creative effort was involved, explaining that he had purchased the original high-resolution photos and reproductions before using prompts and AI processing to alter the images. The modifications replaced the Statue of Liberty’s torch with a wine glass and significantly altered the Mona Lisa by modifying her facial expression, adding disheveled hair, under-eye bags, eye patches, and placing a wine glass in her hand. Conversely, the defense contended that minor alterations to classic masterworks do not elevate the final product to a copyrighted work, arguing that the AI generation process is technical rather than creative.

The court emphasized that artificial intelligence lacks consciousness and is incapable of genuine creative effort. The decision noted that inputting commands and text prompts into a neural network constitutes simple mechanical action, while introducing widely repeated pop-culture tropes into existing works does not amount to a copyrightable creative contribution.

Consequently, the AI-generated images were not recognized as standalone copyrighted works, establishing a major precedent for the domestic digital design market and the commercial exploitation of AI content.