Key holding or allegation
The court treated the list-style prompts predominantly as functional instructions or ideas and found insufficient original literary expression on the facts.
Why it matters
Direct authority on copyrightability of prompts themselves, distinct from copyright in generated outputs.
Facts
Claim concerned six groups of list-style prompts used to direct an AI image generator.
Issues before the court
Whether the prompt text itself contained sufficiently original literary expression for copyright protection.
What the court did not decide
Does not rule out copyright in more expressive, literary or otherwise original prompt text.
Procedural timeline
Shanghai Huangpu District People's Court
Merits judgment: List-style Midjourney prompts were treated as functional instructions/ideas lacking sufficient original literary expression on the facts.