[Google AI Overview at the query, signed out and incognito (operator defaults of 2026-10-01 and 2026-10-14). The paste is the Overview expanded (the 'AI Mode Conversation' view).] The 'You said' line carries the query twice, run together, and is given once here. Inline links are Google redirect URLs, kept as pasted. [QUERENT] U.S. Copyright Office Copyright and Artificial Intelligence [SYSTEM] The U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) maintains that U.S. law strictly requires human authorship for copyright protection, and has released a multi-part analysis addressing digital replicas, generative AI outputs, and AI model training. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESVQHrOzAVPfhnMASseU0VLjfwyJAebfRadgoIySYdglE-J_Qxp5xihN4vuEvGaDQHZhutH9mgtCre75UJCdAVkmYaSdqdN9Nsq3rCkLqpUfT5fVALsN4), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESZQHrOzAV8LUDz0K9G81RcjtqN4C0rdlop8p2E6n8Tn-ypqCyITsPS_5OMl8O-zLqZEF0g_QUludpv_APJODHFYjlPctcPNCkqkL6pPBDoTrjQTPqr1Wd-A_4IHqu3NusttNGjx07)] Core Policy and Reports * Initiative Launch: The USCO launched its comprehensive AI initiative in early 2023, issuing a Notice of Inquiry on August 20, 2023, which received over 10,000 public comments. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAEScQHrOzAV_ymJM6pAAihpGLDkWaKmGtZ8hS9QMCIicbgIldrcqkf3gZhNlLxFDs66N5Odb6GNZD_zh-7BZKvNWP3a6qCKPXlqJKol6zCvchWBIEFD7yVKhq39ARXfIRgoxx15FaW7hDJLOwrOvcRR5YQf), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESVQHrOzAVPfhnMASseU0VLjfwyJAebfRadgoIySYdglE-J_Qxp5xihN4vuEvGaDQHZhutH9mgtCre75UJCdAVkmYaSdqdN9Nsq3rCkLqpUfT5fVALsN4)] * Part 1: Digital Replicas (Published July 31, 2024): Examines unauthorized digital replicas, voice/likeness concerns, and recommends federal protections. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESsQEB6zswFTAmTHWXF9N37YwKbysWUpJVXxEEt-Zwsd5GGk1YkEcTalyohKqPg4QztzgmWF16s1UuMXpqveyXlw515JTEENPX6Lk9dE38Gm8d3HP70rXWp690_fvHDGF7bfpfC0BaFpGE7t0UANemOj_iCLIXLp2onoJLiFtptmWuEcq_g1QmlISZwe4ZQv8mTkDDKnr7bQUA9XSScf5YBeN6qUCPnAbWKmojV-vjV3SN7II), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESVQHrOzAVPfhnMASseU0VLjfwyJAebfRadgoIySYdglE-J_Qxp5xihN4vuEvGaDQHZhutH9mgtCre75UJCdAVkmYaSdqdN9Nsq3rCkLqpUfT5fVALsN4)] * Part 2: Copyrightability of Generative AI Outputs (Published January 29, 2025): Confirms that purely AI-generated works are uncopyrightable. Protection requires sufficient human-authored creative elements (such as human selection, arrangement, or modification). Mere prompting is insufficient to claim authorship over an AI output. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESaAHrOzAV5vm8Fv_IIeD8elIR1aqplfXGapPPWFtpOcPsj1CGJsve1wqNNU451l9B2eo10I_yLmhD0xJ7gVw9gs2u2ncY0NNkccB9ZlYAFmx0Lpb1KCOgB5Xmg2L_C6nSSzqlGbImKp-7), [2](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESjwEB6zswFfYNx-Ual5yMeUxhCP1ZhycxtuUEGo6sQVqu8Elhb8mdmb9Ju__Qw8QbmMCLBzMLyYPagstLJG1z9bcEyF4C6Pg9uyR3Dzw65_scENMI5KrCdaX9Qz3rPPG9PTXmi7FdVujLMi5gVJ83YHGvpmzchr3_kkylpfIxLI6myrgYBOSyM7Q_N4SlIbd2uQ)] * Part 3: Generative AI Training (Pre-publication released May 9, 2025): Analyzes using copyrighted works to train AI models. The report suggests that commercial training on vast troves of copyrighted material to produce competing expressive content often exceeds fair use boundaries, though it emphasizes case-by-case balancing and market-based solutions. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAES4QEB6zswFZ0wP2iq2LfULQKSOPeqQk1IMMxCxilCSHI0pJyud96X6yFqnppZI91Nc7wuv601ftAoJEiFsYJ62A1lT8cDLVpGu7zPRUwsrFi9eu1UStV3Aavry30Ff1zjlI5LV2IS9mpyRjVUc_6MJtbOY-kQp6dGSFysj7wTPUT9sPWg0kJcaX2c_v5rkfw_Ne3iaWPU9lJEaYzO1jMrzKRSGweQcW8glHcMuuiO6AR-3NUrHAI7FzyVZITQdJLviewiWad2HSESE6RLsEZdMuvQWB8P1f-rmalGwyZOo9WE_sQ)] Key Legal Precedents * Human Authorship Mandate: Supported by court rulings such as Thaler v. Perlmutter, which affirmed that works created autonomously by an AI without human creative control cannot be copyrighted. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESZQHrOzAV8LUDz0K9G81RcjtqN4C0rdlop8p2E6n8Tn-ypqCyITsPS_5OMl8O-zLqZEF0g_QUludpv_APJODHFYjlPctcPNCkqkL6pPBDoTrjQTPqr1Wd-A_4IHqu3NusttNGjx07)] * Registration Rules: Applicants must disclose any more-than-de minimis AI-generated material when submitting a work for registration and describe the specific human contribution. [[1](https://www.google.com/goto?url=CAESjwEB6zswFfYNx-Ual5yMeUxhCP1ZhycxtuUEGo6sQVqu8Elhb8mdmb9Ju__Qw8QbmMCLBzMLyYPagstLJG1z9bcEyF4C6Pg9uyR3Dzw65_scENMI5KrCdaX9Qz3rPPG9PTXmi7FdVujLMi5gVJ83YHGvpmzchr3_kkylpfIxLI6myrgYBOSyM7Q_N4SlIbd2uQ)] If you'd like, I can provide more details on: * Specific registration decisions (such as Zarya of the Dawn) * Recent court cases involving AI model training * International differences in AI copyright rules Copyright Office (.gov) Copyright and Artificial Intelligence | U.S. Copyright Office Initiative: U.S. Copyright Office AI examination (launched early 2023, notice of inquiry August 2023, 10,000+ comments by December 2023). Report: Multi-part ana... Copyright Office (.gov) NewsNet Issue 1060 | U.S. Copyright Office Report: U.S. Copyright Office Part 2 AI Report (January 29, 2025). Copyrightability: Generative AI outputs require sufficient human-authored expressive elements... Copyright Office (.gov) Artificial Intelligence Study | U.S. Copyright Office Initiative: U.S. Copyright Office AI study analyzing copyright law, unresolved issues, and congressional action. Process: Notice of inquiry published August 20, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Copyright Office Publishes Report on Copyrightability of AI-Generated Materials | Insights | Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP Core Positions: Human authorship remains a strict requirement for copyrightability; entirely AI-generated works are uncopyrightable. Prompt Limitations: Enterin... Crowell & Moring LLP U.S. Copyright Office Releases Third Report on AI and Copyright Addressing Training AI Models with Copyrighted Materials | Crowell & Moring LLP Report: U.S. Copyright Office Third AI Report (May 9, 2025) addressing generative AI training on copyrighted works. Fair Use Analysis: Evaluates four statutory ... WIPO US Copyright Office on AI: Human creativity still matters, legally US Copyright Office: Requires human authorship for copyright; purely AI-generated works are uncopyrightable; AI-assisted modifications or selections may qualify... Congress.gov Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law | Congress.gov | Library of Congress Copyright Authorship: U.S. law requires human authorship for copyright protection; *Thaler v. Perlmutter* confirmed AI-generated works lacking human creative co... AI responses may include mistakes. [Learn more](https://support.google.com/websearch?p=ai_overviews)