D.C. Circuit rules AI cannot be an author in Thaler v. Perlmutter

In Thaler v. Perlmutter, the D.C. Circuit held that works created entirely by AI are not eligible for copyright and that only humans can hold copyright protection. Thaler had tried to register AI-generated art with the machine listed as the author and was denied.

The principle applies directly to software. AI-generated code without human creative input has no author the law will recognize, so there is no copyright in it for anyone to own.

This page reflects current U.S. copyright law and general international principles. It is provided for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.