This should certainly be interesting to watch. Regardless of my take on IP law (I'm generally against it), it does exist, and Midjourney has made some stupid public comments about how they've scraped without concern for copyright. I could easily see this ending with Disney and Universal literally owning them.
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7 sats \ 1 reply \ @kepford 11 Jun
I'm opposed to IP law on a logical basis so just know that.
I've been thinking about how these tools work and it seems very obvious to me that if logic prevails the AI companies will lose these lawsuits. That is provided they haven't violated any IP in obtaining access to info.
Generative AI behaves much in the same ways that humans behave. They intact massive amounts of information. Then just as a human would do they use that information in the process of generating content. If I read 100 books over a few years and then write about the concepts in those books I have not broken any IP laws. Now, if I plagiarize from any of those books I could get into trouble. I imagine it is possible that the generative AIs may use text without credit but I imagine most of the time they are doing what humans do. Summarizing and rephrasing. This isn't a violation of any IP laws to my knowledge.
The same is likely true of images but because Disney has bought off the legal systems in many nations they can restrict the creation of artists that aren't direct copies of their works. If Midjourney is generating characters from Disney's catalog they may be in trouble, but if they are just doing what people do in taking in in inspiration I don't see the AI companies losing in the battle.
One thing is for sure. It is going to be interesting and if done properly could strike a massive blow to IP law and all the holes it has in it.
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41 sats \ 0 replies \ @Car 11 Jun
ya i think it more just leads Disney and Universal to more licensing deals at the very least or potentially getting them to buyouts, its all a win win if your a behemoth like them, knowing bob and how he thinks about brands/technology he is thinking exactly this
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