Can AI-generated videos be copyrighted?
In the US, a video generated purely from a prompt is not protected by copyright: the Copyright Office says prompts alone do not give enough human control to make you the author[3]. What you add yourself, such as your own footage, script, edits, and the selection and arrangement of AI clips, can be protected[5].
This page is general information, not legal advice. It covers the US position as published by the Copyright Office; other countries can differ, and a lawyer should answer anything that depends on your facts.
What the US Copyright Office says
The Copyright Office published Part 2 of its Copyright and Artificial Intelligence report, on whether AI outputs can be copyrighted, on January 29, 2025[1]. Its conclusions are the clearest official guidance on AI video in the US:
- AI outputs are copyrightable only where a human author has determined sufficient expressive elements[2].
- With current generally available tools, prompts alone do not give you enough control to be the author of the output[3].
- Purely AI-generated material, or material where a human did not control the expressive elements, is not protected[4].
- Using AI as a tool does not bar copyright. Your own perceptible contributions, and your creative selection, arrangement or modification of AI outputs, can be protected[5].
- Whether your contribution is enough is decided case by case[6].
What that means for a typical AI video
| What you did | Likely position under the report |
|---|---|
| Typed a prompt and posted the clip as it came out | The footage itself is likely not protected, because the prompt alone does not make you the author[3]. |
| Wrote a script, then generated clips for it | Your script is your own writing. The generated pictures are still AI output[4]. |
| Cut many clips into a sequence with your own timing and order | The selection and arrangement can be protected; the individual clips still are not[5]. |
| Painted over, re-animated or composited the output by hand | Your perceptible modifications can be protected[5]. |
| Mixed AI shots with your own camera footage | Your own footage is protected as usual; the AI shots are judged separately[6]. |
In practice, the more of the finished video you shaped by hand, the stronger your claim. A single unedited 10-second clip is the weakest case. A short film you scripted, cut, timed, scored and colour-graded yourself is a much stronger one, even if every shot came from a model.
Copyright works the other way too
Not being able to own the output is one question. Infringing someone else's work is another. Only a copyright owner may make or authorise adaptations of their work, and an unauthorised adaptation may be infringement[7]. A video of a famous franchise character can be an adaptation of that character whether you drew it or a model did. In our renders, video models also blocked franchise names and props; we cover what gets blocked in why Seedance blocks videos.
Using AI output commercially is a separate question again, governed mostly by the tool's terms; see can I use AI videos commercially.
How to strengthen your claim
- Keep your script, storyboard and edit project files. They show what you decided.
- Write your own dialogue and voice-over rather than asking the model for it.
- Edit: choose takes, cut them to your timing and order, add your own sound and titles.
- Design original characters instead of imitating existing ones. Our character consistency guide shows how we keep an original character stable across videos.
- Do not claim the purely AI-generated parts as your own work; they are not protected[4]. Claim what you made.
Where Cast fits
- Making original characters from a text description, so you are not adapting someone else's character.
- Short 5, 10 and 15-second clips you then cut, order and score yourself into a longer piece.
Where it does not:
- Registering a finished work: Cast gives you raw clips, and it publishes no commercial-use licence terms yet.
- Editing your own camera footage: Cast cannot import or edit video you shot.
- Long films with a script and many scenes: Katechon Arc (https://arc.katechon.technology/) is built for multi-episode dramas.
People also ask
- Do I own a video I made with an AI tool?
- You may have rights under the tool's terms, but in the US the raw output is not protected by copyright if you only wrote the prompt[3]. Your own edits, script and arrangement are what you can own[5].
- Does a very detailed prompt count as authorship?
- Not under the Copyright Office's current view. It concluded prompts alone do not give enough control over the output with today's generally available tools[3].
- Does editing an AI video make it copyrightable?
- Your edits can be. Creative selection, arrangement or modification of AI outputs can be protected, though the AI-made parts themselves are not, and each case is judged on its facts[6].
- Can someone reuse my unedited AI clip?
- If the clip has no protectable human contribution, copyright gives you little to enforce[4]. Platform rules on reposting and the tool's terms may still apply.
- Is AI fan art of a famous character legal?
- No official source we found addresses AI fan art directly. The general rule is that only the copyright owner may authorise adaptations of a work[7].
Sources
Claims about other companies come from their own pages, read on the date shown. Products and prices change; check the link for the current version.
- US Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (read )
- US Copyright Office: Copyright and AI, Part 2: Copyrightability (PDF) (read )
- US Copyright Office: Part 2 report, purely AI-generated material (read )
- US Copyright Office: Part 2 report, human contributions (read )
- US Copyright Office: Part 2 report, case-by-case analysis (read )
- US Copyright Office: Circular 14, Copyright in Derivative Works (read )
Related answers
- Can I use AI-generated videos commercially?
- Is it legal to make an AI video of a real person?
- Can I make AI videos of fan characters from anime or movies?
- Do AI-generated videos need a label under the EU AI Act?
- Can you monetize AI-generated videos on YouTube?
Part of the Cast answers library (Copyright, rules and safety).
Updated