Rethinking the Legitimacy of Copyright in the Context of ChatGPT
ZHU Hongjun LI Xinyang
Author information+
Zhu Hongjun is a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and researcher at the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. E-mail: zhuhj@cass.org.cn.
Li Xinyang is a doctoral student at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. E-mail: lixinyangyqxj@outlook.com.
Legitimacy theory has been repeatedly tested by major technological changes. Reflection on the legitimacy of copyright is a traditional and often new topic. As a symbol of the transformation of artificial intelligence technology from quantitative to qualitative, large generative models represented by ChatGPT not only challenge current copyright law, but also question the legitimacy of copyright. The traditional foundational theories that support copyright legitimacy are facing challenges in adapting to new environments. In the context of ChatGPT, the empowerment basis and standard of Labor Theory have failed, the prerequisites of Personality Theory are unsustainable, the incentive vision of Utilitarianism can not be achieved. In the context of ChatGPT, as single theory cannot complete the task of proving the legitimacy of copyright, a collection of theories guided by multiple concepts offers new inspiration to copyright legitimacy. Labor Theory, Justice Theory and Social Planning Theory have respectively proven the diverse values of copyright at the levels of defining of the scope of rights, distributing economic benefits and constructing culture and society. This provides a relatively coherent and progressive theoretical foundation for copyright legitimacy in the context of new technology.
ZHU Hongjun LI Xinyang.
Rethinking the Legitimacy of Copyright in the Context of ChatGPT. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2024, 46(9): 92-110