ai licensing and contracts - aea -...
TRANSCRIPT
TwoIssues
Licensing:someaspectsofcopyright–no
patents!
Contracting:anoldapproachtoanewproblem
CopyrightandAI
• AI-generatedworks• Infopaq:“Author’sownintellectualcreation”• Incentivisation:creatingtheAIsoftwarein
thefirstplacewillproduceacopyrightwork.Whatareweincentivisingifwegrantprotectiontoitsoutput?
TheEUStudy(2016)
“Cananautonomousrobotbedeemedtheauthorofanintellectualwork,entitlingittocopyrightprotection?”
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2016/571379/IPOL_STU(2016)571379_EN.pdf
TheFourModes
AICo-productionHumanselectionofpre-generatedworksBruteforceIndependentmachinecreationandselection
https://bora.uib.no/browse?type=author&value=Bøhler,%20Helene%20Margrethe
ButintheUnitedKingdom…
CopyrightDesignsandPatentsAct1988(asamended):
s9(3):Inthecaseofaliterary,dramatic,musicalorartisticworkwhichiscomputer-generated,theauthorshallbetakentobethepersonbywhomthearrangementsnecessaryforthecreationoftheworkareundertaken
s173:“Computer-generated”,inrelationtoawork,meansthattheworkisgeneratedbycomputerincircumstancessuchthatthereisnohumanauthorofthework.
NovaProductionsv.Mazooma
“…thearrangementsnecessaryforthecreationoftheworkwereundertakenbyMrJonesbecausehe…wrotetherelevantcomputerprogram…[he]thereforeisdeemedtobetheauthorbyvirtueofs9(3).
KitchinJhttp://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2006/24.html
Notsosimple…
Iftheworkiscomputer-generated…copyrightexpiresattheendoftheperiodof50yearsfromtheendofthecalendaryearinwhichtheworkwasmade.(CDPAs.12(7))
Whatifsomeoneplaysagameof“PocketMoney”in150yearstime?DoesMrJones’sestateownthecopyrightintheimages?
Notsosimple…
Whatifthewriterofthecodewasacontractorwhofailedtoassignfuturecopyrightinworksgeneratedbythecodetheywrote(asopposedtothecodeitself)?
TheClean-RoomRewriteProblem
Art1.2SoftwareDirective:
Ideasandprincipleswhichunderlieanyelementofacomputerprogram,includingthosewhichunderlieitsinterfaces,arenotprotectedbycopyrightunderthisDirective
WhatifweuseAItodoaclean-roomrewriteofapieceofsoftwarebydistillingitto‘ideasandprinciples’andre-creatingit?
CommerceandMachines
Contractingwithamachine
Vendingmachine–aunilateralcontractorstandingoffer
Smartcontracts–aconceptcoinedbyNickSzaboMinimisesthehumaninteractionAutomatestheexecutionandperformanceofthecontractbytranslatingcontractualobligationsintocomputercode
Inthisscenario,themachineissimplyatoolusedbythehumanagent
Contractingwithanautonomousintelligentagent
NolongerjustameretoolAutonomousintelligentagentsmayformapparentlybindingcontractsinwaystheirhumanownersdidnotanticipateorwelcome
Contractformation:meetingof‘minds’?
Autonomousintelligentagent
Autonomousandintelligent=capableofinteractingwithothersoftwareservices,andinitiatingandcompletingcertaintasks,withoutanydirectinputorsupervisionAgent=anythingthatcanbeviewedasperceivingitsenvironmentthroughsensorsandactingonthatenvironmentthroughactuatorsavarietyofentities(fromwebbotsorsoftwaretoprogrammedhumanoidrobots)
Single-andmultiple-targetagents
Single-targetagentsaredesignedtooperateagainstasingleplatformeBaysnipingapplications–throughtheuser’saccount,theycanenterabidonbehalfofthesniperatthelastminute
Multiple-targetagentsaredesignedtointeractwithmorethanoneplatformorsiteTheapplicationmayscanallonlineauctionplatformsinordertopurchaseanitemforthebestpossibleprice
The‘WalledGarden’effect
Theuserwouldhavetohadalreadyformedapre-existingcontractualrelationshipwitheachofthewebsitesconcerned,andhadconveyedthosecredentialstotheagent
Solution–multiplesitesallowAIAstotransactwiththemandpresentageneralAPItoeachagenttofacilitateaccessAlreadyusedfromenergymarkets(Engerati)tofinancialtrading(SWIFTnetwork)
LeavingtheWalledGarden
IntheabsenceofsuchanunderlyinglegalframeworkallocatingrightsandresponsibilitiestopartiestransactingthroughAIAs è AIAsasagentscoupledwithastrict liabilityforanydamagecaused
Withincreasingcomplexity,thestrictliabilityprinciplemayproduceundueriskfortheowneroftheagent
Whoistheowner?Onwhomdoestheliabilityarise?
RomanLawInAncientRome,commercialpracticesreliedonslaves– intermediariesthatarenotlegallypeople,butthings.Slaveslackedlegalpersonalityandthereforehadnocorrespondingrightsorresponsibilities,couldnotownproperty,sueorbesued
Yet,actingonhismaster’sbehalf,aslavecouldenterintoacontractandtherebybindathirdparty
Peculium=abundleofassetsallocatedtoslavestocarryoutspecificactivitiesonbehalfoftheirmasterThevalueebbedandflowedinaccordancewiththeslave'sbusinessandthesizeofapeculiumwasonlydeterminedwhenaclaimwasbroughtagainstit
‘ElectronicSlave’metaphor
AparallelbetweenAIAsandRomanslaves–bothpossessvaluableskillsandcanindependentlyperformvariousimportantcommercialtasksuponcommand
AIAsdonothavelegalpersonality,completewithrightsandresponsibilities(yet),noraretheysimplyjustsophisticatedtools
Reducingfrictionincommerceisseenasagoodthing.
Digitalpeculium
DigitalpeculiumasaspecialsetofrulesdefiningtheparametersofliabilityforAIAsinthecontextofcommercialtransactions
Authenticatedidentity,backedbyaninsurancescheme
Strikesabalancebetweentheuncertainriskoftechnologyandtheprotectionofhumaninterestsbylegalaccountability
Plug
FutureLawSeries-EdinburghUniversityPressChapterontheDigitalPeculiumThankstoDrMichaelaMacDonaldQMUL.Duetobepublishedimminently…
