Japan Panel Eyes Protecting Intellectual Property From Artificial Intelligence Risks

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, October 4, 2023

In light of the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence, a new government panel on the protection of intellectual property held its inaugural meeting on Wednesday.

The panel is charged with discussing technologies to guarantee the reliability of content, with Originator Profile (OP) digital technology in mind. The move to utilize such technology is aimed at better dealing with the risks created by generative AI.

OP is a technology that electronically assigns originator information authenticated by a third-party organization to news articles and advertisements on the internet, enabling end-users to confirm the reliability of the information.

As another mechanism to enable end-users to identify AI-generated content, the panel also plans to examine the effectiveness of a technology called “digital watermarking,” which enables people to distinguish whether audio and visual content was generated by AI.

Also on the panel’s agenda are the relationship between generative AI and intellectual property rights other than copyright. In particular, the panel is to discuss how to protect intellectual property and regulate generative AI in its learning and use of trademarked designs as well as symbols and logos. How to return profits to creators to secure their earnings is likely also a concern of the panel.

The 13-member panel, comprising AI engineers and legal experts, will compile a summary of issues regarding intellectual property protection by the end of this year.