Wuhan court includes AI production costs in copyright damages
A court in Wuhan, China, has ruled that AI production costs can be factored into copyright damages. The decision came in a dispute over an AI‑generated one‑hour short drama that was published on platforms such as WeChat. The court said the drama was a protectable audiovisual work because employees made creative decisions at every stage, from script to prompt design to final editing.
Key points
- Wuhan court first includes AI production costs in copyright damages calculation.
- Court ruled one‑hour AI‑generated drama is a protectable audiovisual work.
- Plaintiff awarded 20,000 RMB (~$2,900) damages and urged record keeping.
The ruling also weighed traditional factors such as runtime, distribution reach and duration of infringement. The plaintiff received 20,000 RMB (about $2,900) and the court urged creators to keep records like scripts, prompt drafts and project files. The case follows a 2023 Beijing ruling that granted copyright protection to an AI‑generated image.
A Wuhan court just made AI production costs a legal factor in copyright infringement cases
The Decoder · 28 September 2026
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