Topic guide

Intellectual property and copyright

Who owns AI outputs, and whether training or use infringes someone's rights.

For reference purposes only. Not legal advice.

SimplifiedGeneral guidance. Legal duties differ by region; see the region pages and confirm with counsel.Source: European Commission: AI Act overview · Checked 3 Oct 2026

Overview

Rules on training data, outputs and ownership are changing and differ between countries. Avoid assuming outputs are protected or free of claims, keep records of sources, and ask counsel about high-value or public uses.

Key risks

Training data without permission
Outputs that copy protected work
Unclear ownership of outputs
Staff pasting protected material into tools

What to do now

Ask vendors about training data and indemnities.
Set rules for using AI output in public work.
Keep records of sources.
Take advice: policy is not settled in several places.

Questions to ask

What do our tools' terms say about ownership of outputs?
Could outputs reproduce third-party material?
What do we know about the training data of the models we use?
Do we record sources for content we publish?
Who decides when legal review is needed?

Related tools

Vendor due diligence

Region rules: EU · US · UK · India · Global standards.

Reviewed 3 Oct 2026. Sources: European Commission: AI Act overview.

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