Many different creators, businesses, and consumers often ask the question, “Does California have copyright laws?” It's an important question to continue to ask in 2024 for anyone who is creating or using intellectual property. The nuances of this law can help protect these individuals’ unique works of art while also keeping them out of trouble with copyright law at both the state and federal levels. Understanding Federal Copyright Law The United States government oversees federal copyright law, which is specifically noted in Title 17 of the U.S. Code. It grants different creators, like authors and artists, exclusive rights over any [...]

ChatGPT and other AI platforms are creating opportunities for content creators and everyday folks who rely on AI to generate ideas and even write content. However, universities, publishing companies, and businesses still consider AI-generated essays and articles plagiarism. For many, the same plagiarism rules apply, whether the writing was done by someone other than the author or an AI program like ChatGPT. A common question filling Google search boxes is, “How do I use AI without plagiarizing?” Is All AI-Generated Text Plagiarized? While ChatGPT and other AI-based platforms offer potent tools that aid in content creation or even generate entire [...]

The launch of ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms surprised many people who did not expect the software to be so well-informed. It was only later that the general population learned that AI had been trained on billions of documents that are available online. These include blogs, newspapers, and other forms of content that are protected by copyright laws. The process is automated and far-reaching. You may be wondering, “How do I stop AI from stealing my content?” What Is Content Theft? Content theft is unlawful. Anyone who engages in content theft could be liable for damages and legal costs. [...]

Ever since the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) as a competitive content creator, many people have asked questions in an attempt to understand its place in the field of content creation. Establishing copyright is all but impossible, so another question asked by many is whether it is illegal to sell AI-generated content. Intellectual property and trademark lawyers are in the process of trying to find out. Copyright Law In August of 2023, a U.S. court upheld a decision by the U.S. Copyright Office in which they declared that AI bots cannot obtain copyright protection for any piece of art created [...]

The emergence of AI as a legitimate art creator has the potential to threaten the livelihoods of artists around the world in different mediums, such as painters, musicians, and screenwriters. If you’re interested in creating AI content or if your field has been affected by the emergence of AI, you’re likely concerned about the legal questions it poses. Who owns the rights to AI-generated content is not an easy question to answer, but intellectual property lawyers and copyright officers can provide guidance on the matter. What Is AI, and What Content Is It Generating? AI is an abbreviated term for [...]

The short answer to understanding image copyright is that if you created an original image, then you have the copyright on it. Our California copyright attorneys at The Myers Law Group can educate individuals and businesses on the different aspects of image copyright and how it is viewed in a court of law. The Need for Image Copyright Image copyright gives original creators protection against having their works plagiarized or stolen. One cannot steal, copy, reproduce, or display another’s created image without permission from the copyright owner or a license. It is important to understand that copyright protects forms of [...]

As a California copyright attorney, it is important that we highlight the impacts of artificial intelligence on copyright and patent law. Artificial intelligence is the ability of a computerized system to perform functions and tasks that would normally require human interaction or human intelligence. These can include acts such as speech recognition, decision-making, visual perception, language translation, etc. It is no secret that artificial intelligence is ever-evolving. A general rule of thumb to consider is that only works authored by a human being can be copyrighted. Although copyrights for works generated by artificial intelligence are not specifically prohibited by law, [...]