Event Recap: AI and Copyright in the Entertainment Industry – Nelson

Speakers:

• Dave Davis, Dave Davis, Chief Content Officer, Protege
• Matthew Dysart, Partner, Greenberg Glusker
• Andy Stroud, General Counsel, Epylon (moderator)

By Dzina Nelson, Student Reporter

Moderated by copyright expert Andy Stroud, this panel brought together leading practitioners including Dave Davis (Dave Davis, Chief Content Officer, Protege) and Matthew Dysart (Partner, Greenberg Glusker) to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping copyright law in entertainment.

Panelists examined the enduring “human authorship” requirement, noting cases such as Naruto v. Slater and current Copyright Office guidance that exclude purely AI-generated works from protection. As a result, lawyers are advising clients to ensure meaningful human creative contributions in AI-assisted projects to maintain copyright eligibility.

The conversation also focused on licensing content for AI training, an area filled with uncertainty around fair use, market harm, and contractual limitations. Panelists highlighted ongoing litigation and privacy-related regulations – particularly those involving biometric data – as key developments to watch.

Despite concerns about labor displacement, the panel agreed that AI is now a permanent part of creative workflows. Collaboration among creators, studios, platforms, and regulators will be essential to shaping a balanced and sustainable copyright framework in the AI era.

Additionally, the speakers addressed how entertainment contracts are rapidly evolving to include AI-specific clauses – covering authorship warranties, training-data restrictions, and limitations on model outputs. With technology advancing faster than federal policy, panelists emphasized that, for now, contract drafting will drive industry norms. The next few years will be critical in determining how Hollywood adapts to AI in both business and creative practice.