An AI-generated art that was previously given copyright by the US Copyright Office was withdrawn earlier this week, after learning that it was created using the Midjourney AI tool. The art in a famed comic book called "Zarya of the Dawn" from Kris Kashtanova was previously celebrated as the first AI-generated artwork that was given copyright and recognized by the agency.
It seems that AI-generated artwork is still not up for pursuing copyright on the content it brings, as shown by this recent action from the US Copyright Office, despite the appeal of the team.
Midjourney AI-made Artwork for a Comic Book Revoked of Copyright
(Photo : Kris Kashtanova via Instagram)
Reuters reported that last Tuesday, the US Copyright Office revoked the copyright previously granted to Kashtanova and the team behind the "Zarya of the Dawn" comic book. It was initially granted copyright last year, centering on the artwork which was done through the Midjourney AI platform, with the graphic novel receiving assistance from the tech.
According to a now-obtained letter from the copyright office (via Ars Technica), Ms. Kashtanova provided incomplete information about the original application when she first put her work forward.
It was only then discovered by the office that the artwork used in the graphic novel came from an AI art generator tool, posted on Kashtanova's Instagram account.
The US Copyright Tool asked the team to explain their reason why it should be considered for the copyright, with the comic book artist stating that it was only used as an "assistive tool," and all other contents were original by her.
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Are AI-Generated Artwork Not Up for Copyrights?
Artists who used AI art generators may still apply their work for copyright on the US Copyright Office, but they need to have a valid and acceptable reason as to why they used the technology for it.
However, it seems that for the time being, AI-generated artworks are not yet widely accepted by the copyright agency, especially if it was not originally stated in the application.
AI-Generated Content and Midjourney
The world was stunned by how powerful AI progressed in the present time, especially as it can create various content out of nothing, using only a series of keywords from a person's command. One of the most famous systems includes the Midjourney AI, where a famous personality, Fallon Fox, shared images of a seemingly real concert in the 80s which did not happen in real life.
Apart from Midjourney, there are also other online tools to generate content online, and one of the famous companies here includes OpenAI.
With OpenAI, there are numerous platforms and models available, including that the ChatGPT for text content, and the DALL-E series which centers on AI art.
The power of AI rules supreme in the globe now, especially as they help in generating content from scratch, to deliver interesting pieces and creations from those that gave the commands.
However, despite the advancements of AI, it is still not eligible for copyrights, or more accurately, creators using these AI tools cannot justify how their work is copyright-worthy yet, to the US Copyright Office.
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