Exploring China's First AIgenerated Image Copyright Infringement Case

In November 2023, the Beijing Internet Court issued the first-instance judgment on what is considered China's first copyright infringement case involving AI-generated images. The case has received significant attention from society, with 170,000 netizens tuning in to the online live broadcast of the trial. The court ruled that the AI-generated image in question is entitled to copyright protection. This ruling, which is now in effect, has far-reaching implications for the judicial safeguarding of copyright in AI-generated images and the advancement of the artificial intelligence industry in China.

Case overview

A Chinese individual, the plaintiff, created an image using the Stable Diffusion open-source software on February 24, 2023, and shared it on a social platform. Subsequently, another individual, the defendant, used the plaintiff's image in an article posted on March 2, 2023. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit, alleging infringement of his authorship and