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China · CN-009

Feng v cultural communication company - Butterfly Chair

HELDZhangjiagang People's Court; Suzhou appellate court(2024) Su 0582 Min Chu 9015; (2025) Su 05 Min Zhong 4840Effective after appeal withdrawn
AuthorshipCopyrightabilityHuman Creative ContributionEvidence / Burden of Proof

Key holding or allegation

Protection failed on the evidence because the claimant did not sufficiently establish the generation process and individual human creative contribution.

Why it matters

Important counterpoint to Li: Chinese protection is not automatic and evidentiary proof of human contribution matters.

Facts

Claimant asserted copyright in an AI-generated image but could not adequately prove the asserted generation history and individual creative contribution.

Issues before the court

Whether claimant proved sufficient human creative contribution and provenance to establish copyright.

What the court did not decide

The judgment does not categorically hold that AI-generated images are uncopyrightable.

Procedural timeline

2025

Zhangjiagang People's Court
First-instance merits judgment: Copyright claim failed because generation history and individual human creative contribution were not sufficiently proved.

HELD
2025

Suzhou appellate court
Appeal withdrawal: Appeal was withdrawn, leaving the first-instance result effective.

HELD