Christ University Law Journal

Fair-Use Doctrine: Copyright Challenges Posed by AI Generative Technology and In-Text and Data Mining Training

Shridul Gupta — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Artificial intelligence (AI) innovators have invested billions in research and development to create advanced software and hardware tools. AI has generated new businesses and start-ups, providing employment to millions. However, despite its transformative potential, AI innovation has not received sufficient support from legal systems and remains constrained by the current intellectual property regime. Fair-use exemptions, particularly with respect to copyright law, have posed challenges for AI development and training. This disconnect arises because copyright law has not evolved in tandem with AI technologies and still reflects principles from an earlier computing era. Consequently, there is a pressing need to examine which provisions of existing copyright frameworks may be impeding AI progress, especially those related to fair-use exceptions. The ambiguity surrounding these exceptions has led to unpredictable judicial interpretations, particularly in the context of AI tools and technologies. As numerous generative AI systems, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, rely on large datasets that incorporate both copyrighted and non-copyrighted materials, the process of AI training has become a focal point of legal, ethical, and artistic debate. This paper explores these complexities and examines the emerging copyright challenges associated with the training and use of generative AI systems.

Global Perspectives on Fair Use and AI Training Data

Rishabh Tomar — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has recently posed important questions regarding the propriety of copyrighted data in training datasets. Under fair use and similar exceptions and limitations as legal doctrines, it is important to evaluate the permissions for such usage. Despite this, its meaning and implementation differ greatly from one jurisdiction to another, raising legal ambiguity when developers engage in AI businesses across geographical borders. The article addresses a pressing issue. It offers a comparative examination of fair use and analogous doctrines in the United States, the European Union, and emerging markets, set against a rapidly evolving legal landscape. Recent landmark litigation in the United States involving AI developers, alongside the adoption of the EU AI Act, has brought renewed urgency and clarity to debates on the lawful use of copyrighted material in the context of AI development. This study intends to show how these frameworks can be used to explain questions concerning copyright, transformative use, and public benefit. Finally, this study examines regulatory trends and concerns about AI from a legal and policy perspective, assesses the alignment and misalignment of regulatory frameworks, and explores the challenges and possible solutions.

Book Review: A Research Agenda for Intellectual Property Law and Gender

Avishek Chakraborty — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

AI-Assisted Inventions and Inventorship: A Commentary on Thaler v. Comptroller-General for Strengthening India’s Patent Framework

Aneesh V Pillai — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This case commentary examines the landmark decision in Thaler v. Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks and its implications for the evolving domain of artificial intelligence assisted inventions. The judgment, which grappled with whether AI systems can qualify as inventors under patent law, highlights the challenges posed by emerging technologies to traditional legal frameworks. While several jurisdictions are engaging with these debates, India's patent regime remains largely silent on the issue of AI inventorship. This commentary critiques the current Indian legal framework, identifying its limitations in accommodating AI-generated innovations. By drawing comparisons with international developments and analyzing ethical, legal, and policy dimensions, it provides recommendations to strengthen India's patent law. The commentary emphasizes the need for adaptive legal mechanisms that balance innovation incentives with public interest. This analysis is crucial for ensuring India remains competitive in the global innovation landscape while maintaining a robust and inclusive intellectual property regime.