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Comment by raincole

1 day ago

It's more or less already the case though. Pure AI-generated works without human touches are not copyrightable.

11 comments

raincole

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LtWorf  1 day ago

We need it to be infecting the rest like GPL does.

  • raincole  1 day ago

    You probably misunderstood how "infection" of GPL works. (which is very common)

    If your close-sourced project uses some GPL code, it doesn't automatically put your whole project in public domain or under GPL. It just means you're infringing the right of the code author and they can sue you (for money and stopping using their code, not for making your whole project GPL).

    In the simplest terms, GPL is:

        if codebase.is_gpl_compitable:
        gpl_code.give_permission(code_base)
    else if codebase.is_using(gpl_code):
        throw new COPYRIGHT_INFRINGEMENT // the copyright owner and the court deal with that with usual copyright laws

    GPL can't do much more than that. A license over a piece of code cannot automatically change the copyright status of another piece of code. There simply isn't legal framework for that.

    Similarly, AI code's copyleft status can't affect the rest of the codebase, unless we make new laws specifically saying that.

    Also similarly, even if Github lost the class action, it will NOT automatically release the model behind GPL to the public. It will open the possibility for all the GPL repo authors to ask Microsoft for compensation for stealing their code.

    • em-bee  1 day ago

      It just means you're infringing the right of the code author and they can sue you (for money and stopping using their code, not for making your whole project GPL).

      they can sue you and settle for whatever you will accept that makes them happy.

      if you lose then the alternative to not making your code GPL is to make your code disappear, that is you are no longer allowed to sell your product.

      consequently, if AI code is subject to the GPL then the rest of the codebase is too, or the alternative would be that the could not be distributed.

      7 replies →

    • cryptonector  14 hours ago

      You can use GPL code in proprietary code. You just can't distribute said proprietary code if you don't also distribute its sources in accordance with the GPL, and that is how the "infection" happens.