Can you copyright AI-generated videos?
Partly. The US Copyright Office's 2025 report says purely AI-generated material is not protected by copyright, and that prompts alone do not give enough control to make you its author. But the human parts of an AI video can be protected: a script you wrote, your creative selection and arrangement of scenes, and your meaningful edits. Protection is decided case by case, and registration requires disclosing AI-generated material. Other countries differ: the UK, for example, has a rule for computer-generated works.
- The US Copyright Office's Part 2 report (January 29, 2025) says copyright does not extend to purely AI-generated material.
- The same report says that, with current technology, prompts alone do not provide sufficient control.
- Human selection, coordination or arrangement of AI outputs, and creative modifications of them, can be protected.
- Applicants registering a work must disclose AI-generated content that is more than de minimis and exclude it from the claim.
- UK law treats the author of a computer-generated work as the person who made the arrangements necessary for its creation.
What the US Copyright Office concluded
In January 2025 the Copyright Office published Part 2 of its report on copyright and artificial intelligence, on copyrightability. Its conclusions are short. Existing law is enough to answer these questions. Using AI to assist human creativity, rather than stand in for it, does not affect protection. Copyright protects the original expression of a human author even when a work also contains AI-generated material. Copyright does not extend to purely AI-generated material, or material where there is not enough human control over the expressive elements.
On prompts, the Office was specific: based on how current generally available tools work, prompts alone do not provide sufficient control. Typing 'a cinematic video of a lighthouse in a storm' does not make you the author of the pictures that come back, however carefully you wrote the prompt.
What does count is human expression that survives into the result: your own writing that is perceptible in the output, your creative selection, coordination or arrangement of AI-generated material, and creative modifications you make to it. Each case is assessed on its own facts.
The parts of a typical AI video, and how US copyright treats them
| Element | Who made it | Likely protected? |
|---|---|---|
| Script you wrote yourself | You | Yes, as a literary work |
| Script an AI wrote from your one-line idea, unedited | AI | Generally no |
| AI script you substantially rewrote | You and AI | Your rewritten expression can be |
| Scene images or motion clips generated from prompts | AI | Generally no, on prompts alone |
| Your selection and ordering of scenes into a story | You | Possibly, as selection and arrangement |
| Narration recorded in your own voice | You | Yes, as a sound recording of your performance |
| Synthetic narration from a text-to-speech voice | AI | The audio generally no; your script inside it yes |
| Your edits: cuts, timing, added original footage or drawings | You | Creative modifications can be |
Copyright is not the same as owning or being allowed to use
Searches like 'are AI videos copyright free' mix up three different questions. Copyright is whether the law gives anyone exclusive rights over the work. Ownership under contract is what the tool's terms say about who holds the output: Veedio's terms, for example, say the finished video is yours on every plan, that you can publish, monetize and use it commercially, and that Veedio claims no ownership. Permission is whether you may use something at all, which is a separate question if your video includes other people's music, characters or footage.
So an AI video can be entirely yours to use under the tool's terms and still be only partly protected by copyright, which means someone else could reuse the unprotected AI parts. And a video built on a well-known character is not 'copyright free' just because AI drew it: the character still belongs to its owner.
How to keep as much protection as possible
- 1
Write the script yourself
Your words are the most clearly protectable part. Use AI for drafts if you like, but rewrite them into your own expression. A script-to-video tool that narrates your words as written keeps that authorship visible.
- 2
Make real creative choices in the edit
Choose, order and cut scenes deliberately. Selection and arrangement can be protected when it is your creative work, not a default.
- 3
Add human-made material
Your own voice, photos, drawings or footage are yours. Combining them with AI scenes increases the share of the video that is protected.
- 4
Keep records
Save your scripts, drafts and edit decisions. If authorship is ever questioned, a record of what you contributed is the evidence.
- 5
Disclose AI if you register
When registering with the US Copyright Office, describe the human contribution and exclude AI-generated material that is more than de minimis, under the 'Material Excluded' heading.
- 6
Get advice for valuable work
For a commercial series, a brand asset or anything you plan to license, ask an intellectual property lawyer in your country. The rules are still developing.
Note: This page explains public guidance from the US Copyright Office and UK legislation. It is not legal advice, and copyright law differs by country. Courts and the Office are still developing how these rules apply to new tools.
FAQ
Questions people ask next
Can someone copy my AI-generated video?
They may be able to copy the purely AI-generated parts in the US, since those are generally not protected. They cannot copy your protected script, your own recordings or your creative arrangement. Platform rules on reuploads and impersonation can also help you get copies removed.
Is it legal to monetize AI videos I cannot copyright?
Yes. Copyright protection and permission to use are different things. If the tool's terms let you use the output commercially and the video does not infringe anyone else's work, you can publish and monetize it.
Does a very detailed prompt make me the author?
The Copyright Office says that, with current tools, prompts alone do not give sufficient control over the result, however detailed. It left open that tools with more user control could change the analysis.
Can I register a copyright for a video made with AI?
You can register the human-authored parts. The Office's registration guidance requires you to disclose AI-generated content that is more than de minimis and exclude it from your claim.
Are AI videos copyright free for anyone to use?
Not necessarily. The AI parts may be unprotected in the US, but the script, voice, music or characters in a particular video might be protected by someone. Treat other people's videos as theirs unless you know otherwise.
What about outside the US?
Rules differ. UK law has a provision for computer-generated works that treats the person who made the necessary arrangements as the author. Other countries take other approaches, so check where you publish and sell.
Sources, checked 30 October 2026:
- U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
- U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability (January 2025)
- U.S. Copyright Office: Registration guidance for works containing AI-generated material (March 2023)
- UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 9
Platforms change their rules, so check them before you rely on them.
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