AI-generated logos case (Local Court Munich)

Protection of AI output

Can AI-generated work be protected?

Human authors only

Logos made by prompting an AI are not protected, even with a 1,700-character prompt

Holding

The claimant made three logos with generative AI and sued a copier. The court found none protected: the prompts were abstract or open-ended and did not determine the output's appearance, time and effort are not enough, and the AI's automated process dominated, so the claimant made no free and creative choices of his own.

Germany's first court ruling on AI output authorship sets a high bar for prompts.

Principles it bears on

• SupportsCopyright needs a human author; protection follows human creative input, not the machine.

Sources