Theory and practice of intellectual property
№ 1-2 / 2023

ISSN (Print) 2308-0361
ISSN (Online) 2519-2744

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33731/1-22023.277227

Submitted     2023-02-06
Accepted      2023-02-14
Published      2023-03-27

Objects generated by a computer program (artificial intelligence) without direct human intervention: the world’s first experience of legal protection

Anna Shtefan
Doctor of Legal Sciences/Dr. Habil. (Law), Associate Professor, Head of the Copyright and Related Rights Department of the Intellectual Property Scientific Research Institute of the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine
Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2382-4849

Abstract
On January 1, 2023, the new Law of Ukraine on Copyright and Related Rights came into force. Art. 33 of the Law provides for the sui generis right to objects generated by a computer program without direct human participation. Thus, Ukraine is the first country in the world to directly protect such objects through a specially developed legal regime.

The sui generis right to objects generated by a computer program without direct human participation is essentially a regime of full-fledged property copyright that differs only in the shorter term of validity. The analysis of the provisions of Art. 33 of the Law of Ukraine on Copyright and Related Rights raises a number of issues that need to be addressed for the effective application of this regime. In particular, it is necessary to specify such a criterion of protectability of an object as its difference from other existing objects; currently, it does not allow for establishing how significant these differences should be. It would also be advisable to create a list of objects not protected by sui generis rights so that this right does not cover objects that should not have a monopoly on their use. In particular, current affairs reports in the form of ordinary press information generated by AI should not be protected because such protection would contradict the free dissemination of information guaranteed by Article 34 of the Constitution of Ukraine. The observance of copyright, related rights, and sui generis rights for the objects used to generate another object by the computer, as a condition for granting the sui generis rights, should be redefined. In its current formulation, this condition will not be met in most cases, and it will be impossible to prove the fact of its non-compliance.

Some other elements of this regime can be clarified so that the sui generis right to non-original objects generated by a computer program without direct human intervention better reflects the needs of such legal protection and better ensures the balance of interests between the rightsholders and society. Proposals for addressing some of these issues have been made in this article but in sum, the regime of sui generis right to objects generated by a computer program without direct human participation requires further research to develop ways to improve it.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, legal protection, sui generis, copyright, intellectual property

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