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ARTICLE · 10 APRIL 2025

Defending Your Art From AI Mimicry

NovoTech Patent Firm
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When OpenAI released an image generation feature capable of producing images that look remarkably like Studio Ghibli animations, the internet exploded with "Ghiblified" pictures.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Babak Akhlaghi
Babak Akhlaghi
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Authored by Babak Akhlaghi on April 4, 2025. When OpenAI released an image generation feature capable of producing images that look remarkably like Studio Ghibli animations, the internet exploded with "Ghiblified" pictures. The images went viral, prompting OpenAI to quietly pull back the feature from free-tier rollout. This controversy highlights a fundamental question I've been wrestling with as both a legal professional and an observer of creative industries: Who owns the copyright to AI-generated art that mimics a distinctive artistic style?

The answer isn't simple. To understand why, we need to examine the foundations of copyright law itself.

Copyright Basics Weren't Built for AI

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