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China · CN-005

Shanghai Character License Administrative Co. v AI Company - Guangzhou Ultraman

HELDGuangzhou Internet Court(2024) Yue 0192 Min Chu 113Final first-instance judgment
OutputsReproductionAdaptationSubstantial SimilarityPlatform / Provider LiabilityRemedies

Key holding or allegation

The court found infringing substantially similar generated images and imposed cessation, technical preventive measures and damages.

Why it matters

Early direct Chinese GenAI output/provider-liability judgment involving a major licensed character.

Facts

Plaintiff alleged that prompts generated Ultraman images substantially similar to protected character imagery and sought cessation, damages and deletion of Ultraman material from training data.

Issues before the court

Whether generated outputs infringed and what preventive duties/remedies could be imposed on the AI service provider.

What the court did not decide

The court did not decide whether foundation-model training on Ultraman works was unlawful. The defendant had not itself conducted the model training, so the requested training-data deletion remedy was not granted on that basis.

Procedural timeline

2024-02-08

Guangzhou Internet Court
Merits judgment: Generated Ultraman images were found infringing and provider-facing technical safeguards/remedies were ordered.

HELD