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Who owns AI-generated content in the UK?
Short answer
In the UK, work you create with AI help, making real creative choices, is protected by copyright like any other work. Purely computer-generated work with no human author currently has a special, shorter protection under section 9(3) of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. In March 2026 the government proposed removing that protection, but no law has changed yet.
The two categories
AI-assisted work. You write, choose, edit and arrange; AI helps. If the final result reflects your own creative choices, normal copyright applies and you're the author.
Computer-generated work. Output created by a computer with no human author. Section 9(3) gives the copyright to the person who made the arrangements necessary for its creation, for 50 years. The UK is unusual in having this rule.
What changed in 2026
The government's Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (18 March 2026) said most consultation responses thought works created solely by AI shouldn't be protected. The government proposed removing the section 9(3) protection, while keeping copyright for AI-assisted works, and said it would keep monitoring. It hasn't introduced legislation. The same report stepped back from a broad text and data mining exception for AI training.
Practical rules for a small business
- Edit and shape AI output. The more of your own judgement in the final piece, the stronger your position.
- Check the tool's terms. Most major AI providers' terms assign you their rights in outputs, but they can't give you rights they don't have.
- Don't ask for copies. Prompting for "a logo like Nike's" or a famous character risks infringing someone else's rights; the government report notes both user and provider may be liable.
- Logos need trade marks too. Copyright isn't the main protection for a brand name or logo; a registered trade mark is. Search the UK IPO register before you commit.
- Keep your drafts. Saving prompts and edits shows your creative input if ownership is ever questioned.
Related questions
Can I copyright an AI-generated logo?
You may have some protection, but it's weaker the less you contributed, and the law may change. Get a designer to refine it and look at a UK trade mark.
Are ChatGPT images copyright free?
No image is automatically "copyright free". See can I use AI images in my business?
Sources
- GOV.UK: Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (18 March 2026)
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 9 (legislation.gov.uk)
Checked 17 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on it. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice.
More on uk law, tax and hmrc
- Can AI images be illegal in the UK?
- Can ChatGPT do my tax return?
- Can ChatGPT write a contract?
- Do I have to tell customers I use AI?
- Does HMRC use AI?
- How can solicitors use AI in the UK?
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