Guides › AI copyright by country

Who owns AI-generated game assets in United Kingdom? (2026)

Short answer: Purely AI-generated output: Protected for now (repeal proposed). CDPA s.9(3) still protects 'computer-generated works' (50 years from creation; for prompt-driven AI the author is 'usually the person who inputted the prompt'). The government's 18 Mar 2026 report proposes removing that protection while keeping AI-assisted works protected. No repeal date set.

Checked 2026-10-15 · verification: primary. Not legal advice.

What the sources say

"In the case of a general purpose AI which generates output in response to a user prompt, the “author” will usually be the person who inputted the prompt."

"in the absence of evidence of its ongoing value, we propose that this specific type of protection should be removed, while copyright should continue to protect works created with AI assistance."

What it means for your game

Today UK law is the most protective of raw AI output, but plan as if s.9(3) will go: document human creative input.

Copyright is separate from the tool licence. A tool can let you sell its output even where nobody owns copyright in it, and a free tier can forbid commercial use even where you would own it. Check both: commercial use by tool.

FAQ

Sources

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-and-impact-assessment-on-copyright-and-artificial-intelligence/report-on-copyright-and-artificial-intelligence

Other countries: United States · European Union · Japan · China · South Korea · Canada · India