On October 10, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on the Jurisdiction of Internet Courts (最高人民法院关于互联网法院案件管辖的规定) effective November 1, 2025. The 2025 Provisions amend the 2018 Provisions by removing Internet Courts’ jurisdiction over five types of cases including “copyright or neighboring rights disputes involving works first published online,” and “disputes arising from infringement of copyright or neighboring rights in works published or disseminated online.” The SPC explained that this will ensure “new, …
Category: Copyright
Beijing Internet Court Requires Evidence of Creative Effort to Claim Copyright Protection in AI-Generated Images
On September 16, 2025, the Beijing Internet Court announced a recently upheld decision in which they held that while copyright can exist in AI-generated images, the author must “demonstrate that they have exerted creative effort in their AI-generated creations, reflecting personalized expression…When asserting rights in AI-generated works, authors are obligated to explain their creative thinking, the content of their input commands, and the process of selecting and modifying the generated content, and to submit relevant evidence.”
Early Jurisprudence from Beijing on the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Copyright and Personality Rights
On September 10, 2025, the Beijing Internet Court released eight Typical Cases Involving Artificial Intelligence (涉人工智能典型案例) “to better serve and safeguard the healthy and orderly development of the artificial intelligence industry.” Typical cases in China serve as educational examples, unify legal interpretation, and guide lower courts and the general public. While not legally binding precedents like those in common law systems, these cases provide authoritative guidance in a civil law system where codified statutes are the primary source of law. …
Tencent Awarded 89.1 Million RMB in Copyright Cases
In decisions dated August 12, 2025 and August 22, 2025 from the Guangdong and Chongqing High People’s Courts, respectively, Tencent was awarded 89.1 million RMB in total in two copyright infringement cases against short video app Kuaishou. Users had repeatedly posted clips of two shows: Deyun Laughter Club (德云斗笑社) and Lost You Forever (长相思) with the latter receiving over 8.6 billion views.