The Delhi High Court has directed the Registrar of Copyright to consider a bid by Stephen Thaler to register a fully AI-generated artwork. This raises questions on the compatibility of the Indian Copyright Act with non-human authorship.
Delhi HC Directs Consideration of AI-Generated Art Registration
In a significant ruling, the Delhi High Court has directed the Registrar of Copyright to evaluate Stephen Thaler's application to register an artwork created entirely by artificial intelligence. This development brings to light the fundamental aspects of the Indian Copyright Act, primarily designed to acknowledge human authorship.
As discussed by legal analysts, the current framework appears to be inherently anthropocentric, focusing on authorship and ownership strictly attributed to human creators. The lack of provisions catering to non-human authors raises basic questions about the applicability of the Copyright Act in the age of advanced AI technologies.
“The architecture, rationale, and core provisions of the Act remain fundamentally human-centric,”indicating that accommodating fully autonomous AI authorship may present significant challenges.
This ruling could have profound implications for future copyright policies in India, urging legal practitioners to re-evaluate existing laws and consider reforms that modernize intellectual property rights to include non-traditional authorship.
Citations
- Stephen Thaler v. Registrar of Copyright (2026) Delhi HC