The Midjourney neural network generates images that at first glance are difficult to distinguish from the work of an artist, unless you look at the hands, of course. However, who is the real author of this work – the authors of the neural network, its user or the algorithm itself? We tried to sort this issue out with legal experts. They note that the legal regulation of this issue in Russia is in its infancy. Nevertheless, some other jurisdictions are ready to recognize neural networks as authors. True, so far there are only a few such solutions. In Russia, according to the experts we interviewed, neither neural networks nor the works they have created have practically any clearly defined legal status.
Vera Zotova, a Senior Associate in the Intellectual Property and Information Technology Practice at Nordic Star Law Office, commented that Russian law is currently far from recognizing neural networks as authors of works: a human is at the center of legal regulation.
Read the full article (in Russian)