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China · CN-007

Lin - Banxin AI image case

HELDChangshu People's Court(2024) Su 0581 Min Chu 6697Final
AuthorshipCopyrightabilityHuman Creative ContributionOriginality

Key holding or allegation

The court recognised copyright in the final image based on the demonstrated human creative process and editing.

Why it matters

Supports a fact-sensitive Chinese approach to AI-assisted copyrightability rather than a categorical rule.

Facts

Claimant used prompts, selection, composition and subsequent editing in producing the disputed image.

Issues before the court

Whether the final image reflected sufficient human creative contribution for copyright protection.

What the court did not decide

Does not establish copyright in a purely autonomous machine output or in the underlying concept alone.

Procedural timeline

2024

Changshu People's Court
Merits judgment: Copyright recognised in final AI-assisted image based on prompting, selection, composition and subsequent human editing.

HELD