The EU's First AI Copyright Showdown

Introduction

In a move likely to shape the future of Artificial Intelligence ("AI") and copyright law across the European Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU") has received its first referral concerning AI generated outputs and press publishers' rights. The referral, Case C-250/25 Like Company v. Google Ireland, refers to the court to determine whether the reproduction and public display of press content by a large language model ("LLM") infringes copyright and related rights law.

What is at stake here?

The outcome of this case may reshape the digital publishing and AI sectors' understanding of lawful use, the implications of text and data mining and the scope of press publishers' rights under the DSM Directive given this context.