Copyright and AI-Generated Works

An Overview at Home and Abroad

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence technologies raises fundamental legal questions concerning the intellectual property of the works they produce. These issues manifest both globally and locally in Switzerland, with approaches and challenges specific to each scale.

Global Issues

The Fundamental Challenge of the Non-Human Author

 

The concept of authorship as traditionally defined in copyright legislation is based on an anthropocentric principle: only a human being can be considered the author of a work1. This conception poses a major challenge when it comes to works generated by AI without significant human intervention2. A resolution of the European Parliament emphasizes that it is “essential to distinguish between human creations assisted by AI and autonomous AI creations”3.

International Disputes Regarding AI Training

Legal proceedings are multiplying worldwide concerning the use of protected works for training AI models:

• In India, the news agency ANI has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging unauthorized use of its content to train ChatGPT4.
• In the United States, the case of Andersen v. Stability AI sees visual artists suing the creators of Stable Diffusion and Midjourney for exploiting their works without consent5.
• In the case of Kadrey v. Meta Platforms , author Richard Kadrey accuses Meta of generating content closely resembling his original literary works6.

These legal proceedings reveal a tension between the “fair use” argument advanced by technology companies and the rights of original creators7.

Economic and Emotional Impact on Artists

A recent study highlights the harm suffered by artists following the proliferation of AI-based image generators: damage to reputation, economic losses, plagiarism, and copyright infringement8. Beyond purely legal aspects, research shows that these issues negatively affect the emotional state of artists9.

Swiss Legal Framework

Fundamental Principle: The Requirement of Human Creation

In Switzerland, the legal situation is currently clear: copyright only protects works created by a human being1011. Swiss copyright law (CopA) requires two fundamental conditions:

• The work must be a creation of the mind (Art. 2 CopA)
• Protection is only granted to the natural person who created the work (Art. 6 CopA)12

Consequently, a work generated exclusively by AI, without significant human intervention, is not protected by Swiss copyright law13.

Pragmatic Approach: AI as a Tool

Sabrina Konrad, Deputy Head of the Copyright Service at the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI), clarifies: “When a person uses [AI] only as a tool, but provides the creative effort, then the result can benefit from copyright protection. The situation is comparable to a photographer using a camera”14. The determining factor remains the degree of human intervention in the creative process.

Sectoral Regulation and Recent Developments

On February 12, 2025, the Swiss Federal Council opted for a sectoral approach regarding AI regulation15. This decision is accompanied by the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on Artificial Intelligence1617. The Swiss strategy pursues three main objectives:

• Strengthen Switzerland as an innovation hub
• Preserve fundamental rights, including economic freedom
• Strengthen public trust in AI1819

Tensions and Perspectives for Evolution

Criticisms of the Current Framework

The Swiss association Suisseculture has expressed concerns, stating that “creators of cultural goods do not receive an adequate response regarding the treatment and protection of their works”20. According to the organization, “in the digital domain, artistic works remain at the mercy of technology companies”2122.

Pending Questions

Several legal questions remain without a definitive answer:

• Is the use of protected works for AI training authorized without prior consent?
• How to precisely determine the threshold of human intervention necessary to obtain protection?
• Should new specific legal regimes be developed for AI-generated works?

While Swiss law has historically proven to be “sufficiently flexible and technologically neutral” to adapt to previous technological developments23, generative AI may require more profound adaptations to the existing legal framework.

For Swiss SMEs and organizations using these technologies, it is crucial to follow the evolution of this regulatory framework under construction, while ensuring precise documentation of human intervention in their AI-assisted creative processes.

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1. https://www.lextechinstitute.ch/quelle-protection-pour-les-creations-de-lia/?lang=en↩︎
2. https://www.ige.ch/en/blog/blog-article/kuenstliche-intelligenz-koennen-ki-tools-urheberrecht-verletzen↩︎
3. https://www.lextechinstitute.ch/quelle-protection-pour-les-creations-de-lia/?lang=en↩︎
4. https://techpolicy.press/generative-ai-and-copyright-issues-globally-ani-media-v-openai↩︎
5. https://techpolicy.press/generative-ai-and-copyright-issues-globally-ani-media-v-openai↩︎
6. https://techpolicy.press/generative-ai-and-copyright-issues-globally-ani-media-v-openai↩︎
7. https://techpolicy.press/generative-ai-and-copyright-issues-globally-ani-media-v-openai↩︎
8. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/7dbd3d51c453caf77cc1f9681f9b888095b97443↩︎
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11335679/↩︎
10. https://www.ige.ch/fr/blog/articles-du-blog/kuenstliche-intelligenz-koennen-ki-tools-urheberrecht-verletzen↩︎
11. https://www.ige.ch/en/blog/blog-article/kuenstliche-intelligenz-koennen-ki-tools-urheberrecht-verletzen↩︎
12. https://www.lextechinstitute.ch/quelle-protection-pour-les-creations-de-lia/?lang=en↩︎
13. https://www.lextechinstitute.ch/quelle-protection-pour-les-creations-de-lia/?lang=en↩︎
14. https://www.ige.ch/fr/blog/articles-du-blog/kuenstliche-intelligenz-koennen-ki-tools-urheberrecht-verletzen↩︎
15. https://www.ige.ch/fr/prestations/informations/actualites/news-details/ki-regulierung-schweiz-bundesrat-mit-sektoralem-ansatz↩︎
16. https://www.sonart.swiss/fr/news/intelligence-artificiel-et-droit-d-auteur-1245/↩︎
17. https://ssa.ch/fr/intelligence-artificielle-et-droit-dauteur/↩︎
18. https://www.ige.ch/fr/prestations/informations/actualites/news-details/ki-regulierung-schweiz-bundesrat-mit-sektoralem-ansatz↩︎
19. https://www.sonart.swiss/fr/news/intelligence-artificiel-et-droit-d-auteur-1245/↩︎
20. https://www.sonart.swiss/fr/news/intelligence-artificiel-et-droit-d-auteur-1245/↩︎
21. https://www.sonart.swiss/fr/news/intelligence-artificiel-et-droit-d-auteur-1245/↩︎
22. https://ssa.ch/fr/intelligence-artificielle-et-droit-dauteur/↩︎
23. https://mll-legal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019-10_REMI_Copyright_in_artificially_generated_works.pdf↩︎