Recently, the Beijing Internet Court heard two high-profile cases, respectively involving the infringement of AI-generated sounds and the infringement of AI virtual companionship, providing important legal reference for the application of artificial intelligence technology. The verdicts of these two cases mark a key step in the legal field of artificial intelligence in my country, and also provide new solutions to increasingly complex AI ethical and legal issues. The editor of Downcodes will provide a detailed interpretation of these two cases.
The Beijing Internet Court recently heard a landmark case, which was the country’s first case involving the infringement of moral rights in AI-generated voices. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, AI sounds, images and videos have begun to appear widely, and legal issues have also increased.
The plaintiff in the case, Ms. Yin, is a professional dubbing artist. She discovered that many videos using her voice for dubbing appeared on the Internet, and these videos used the AI sound products of a certain workshop. The product can convert the text entered by the user into corresponding sounds, and Ms. Yin's voice is one of them. Ms. Yin has recorded two audiobooks. These recordings were provided to a software company by a cultural media company, which processed the recordings with AI and generated text-to-speech products, which were sold by dealers. In the end, the technology company where a certain workshop is located purchased this product and sold it without technical treatment.
Ms. Yin believed that her voice rights had been infringed, so she took five companies to court, demanding an end to the infringement, an apology, and compensation for economic losses of 600,000 yuan. The Beijing Internet Court held that AI voices are identifiable and should be protected by law. The defendant cultural media company processed and used AI-enabled Ms. Yin’s voice without her authorization, which constituted infringement. The technology company that operates the products of a certain workshop is only responsible for stopping the infringement.
The court finally ruled that the cultural media company and the technology company should compensate Ms. Yin for a total loss of 250,000 yuan. This case not only demonstrates the court’s wisdom and ability in dealing with legal issues arising from new AI technology, but also reminds the public and companies that they must abide by the law and respect the personal rights and interests of others when using AI technology.
In addition, the Beijing Internet Court also heard an AI companion case. The plaintiff He, a public figure, found that he had been set up as a virtual companion by many users. This accounting software allows users to create, add and interact with AI companions. He believed that the software infringed upon his rights and took the software development company to court.
The defendant company argued that He’s pictures, emoticons, and personalized reply text were all uploaded and set by users, and the company was only a service provider. However, the court held that the defendant company not only provided technical services, but its product design and algorithm application determined the core functions of the software, and therefore should bear infringement liability.
In the end, the Beijing Internet Court ruled that the defendant company should publicly apologize to He and compensate him for economic losses of 183,000 yuan and mental losses of 20,000 yuan. This case once again emphasizes that when using online avatars, the personality rights of others must be respected, especially the images of public figures. Use without permission may be suspected of infringement.
The hearing and judgment of these two cases not only promoted the process of Internet legal rule, but also raised new legal challenges and thinking on the application of AI technology, reminding us that while enjoying the convenience brought by technology, we must also fully protect everyone's privacy. Legitimate interests.
The judgments of these two cases provide important legal guidance for the development and application of artificial intelligence technology. They also warn companies and individuals that when using AI technology, they must abide by laws and regulations, respect the rights and interests of others, and jointly build a healthy and orderly society. AI development environment. In the future, with the continuous development of AI technology, there may be more and more similar legal disputes, which require the continuous improvement of relevant laws and regulations and the continuous exploration of judicial practice.