Generative AI tools like ChatGPT allow to create images in the style of certain artists. Recently, creating and publishing images in Studio Ghibli style have become a viral trend on social media. The phenomenon of imitating artistic styles is not new. In case law, it has since long been cleared out that "styles cannot be protected by copyright". However, AI developments have increased the scale of style imitations. Moreover, what exactly is a style, and is really not protected in any sense of the word?

GIPLI doctoral candidate Michiel Roels has been studying style imitation for a couple of months now, mainly thanks to support of FWO Research Foundation Flanders. Last week, he and Professor Simon Geiregat were interviewed by Flemish newspaper HLN.be. As experts, they were asked about the legal implications of style imitations. Today, the News agency of Flemish broadcaster VTM also dropped by at the Faculty of Law and Criminology, for an interview about the topic.

Read more

• Read the interview on HLN.be (in Dutch)
• Rewatch the VTM interview on the news bulletin of 8 April, at 19.00 h (in Dutch)
• React to Michiel's informative post on LinkedIn
• Read about Michiel Roels' research on style protection

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