Authored by: Seagull Song and Wang Mo
On December 20, 2024, the Hangzhou Intermediate Court affirmed a decision made by the Hangzhou Internet Court, which found the defendant, a generative AI platform provider, contributorily liable for infringing the copyright of the famous Ultraman IP. This is the first Chinese case where an AIGC platform was found contributorily liable for copyright infringement. The first-instance court held that the defendant knew or should have known its users’ direct infringement but failed to take effective action to prevent such infringement, and thus constituting contributory liability.
