Copyright in AI-generated content under Georgian law
Commercial exploitation of material generated by artificial intelligence or created with its participation — publication, distribution, use in advertising — falls under the Law of Georgia on Copyright and Neighboring Rights. The law does not regulate the output of artificial intelligence as a separate category, so every decision rests on its general norms: where generated material incorporates a protected work, its use requires the consent of the author or other rights holder and the payment of a royalty. On this page we explain when use without consent is permitted, what a licence agreement must contain, and what compensation the law demands when the agreement is breached.
When use without consent is permitted
The law recognises use of a work without the consent of the author or other copyright holder and without payment of a royalty only in a closed list of cases, and in each of them it requires mandatory indication of the author and of the source of the borrowing. The list includes: quotation for scientific, research, polemical, critical and informational purposes, to the extent justified for the purpose of quotation, including the reproduction of short excerpts from newspapers and magazines for print review; the use of short excerpts from lawfully published or lawfully made available works by way of illustration in publications, radio and television programmes, and teaching phonograms and video recordings, to the extent determined by the stated purpose; the reproduction of articles on current economic, political, social and religious topics published in periodicals, or their public communication, provided this has not been specifically prohibited by the author or rights holder — with the author retaining the right to publish such works in a collection; the reproduction or public communication of a work seen or heard in the course of current events, to the extent justified for informational purposes; the reproduction of publicly delivered political speeches, lectures, addresses, sermons and similar works, including words spoken in court proceedings, to an extent justified for informational purposes, with the author retaining the exclusive right of separate publication in a collection or book; and the reproduction of a lawfully published work created in relief-point script or other special means for the blind, without a profit-making purpose, except for works specifically created for such means of use.
From this list a practical conclusion follows directly for artificial intelligence. Generated material that incorporates an extract of a protected work — a lifted image, a melody, a passage of text — is not automatically a quotation. The quotation freedom operates only for the listed purposes and to a justified extent; mass reproduction of commercial content does not fit that frame. Where a system "borrows" a work without indicating the source, or beyond the necessary volume, the use is not lawful, and the licence-based route becomes the only compliant option.
What a licence agreement must contain
A licence agreement must provide for the exact description of the work to be used — its title, volume and genre; the specific type of use of the work; the term and territory of the agreement; the amount of the royalty or the method of its determination for each type of use, the procedure and term of its payment; and other terms the parties regard as material. In the artificial-intelligence context these requirements carry particular weight: a licence that does not define which material, in which form of use and on which territory it covers will be riddled with the statutory gaps described below, and disputes over generated output will inherit them.
The law also fixes the consequences of missing terms. Every type of use not directly provided for in the licence agreement belongs to the author or other rights holder. If the specific type of use is not indicated, the agreement is deemed concluded for such use as may be considered necessary for the fulfilment of the parties' intention at the time of conclusion. If the term is not specified, the author or rights holder may terminate the agreement after 3 years from its conclusion, and the licensee must be notified in writing 6 months before termination. If the territory is not specified, the agreement operates only on the territory of Georgia. Rights granted under the agreement may be passed on to other persons, in whole or in part, only if this is directly provided for in the agreement. And where the royalty for reproduction is set as a fixed sum, the licence agreement must establish the maximum print run of the work.
Damages for breach of the agreement
The law imposes a direct obligation on the party that has failed to perform, or performed improperly, an obligation under the transfer of the author's property rights, the creation of a work, or a licence agreement: it must compensate the other party for the damage caused, including lost profits. Use beyond the scope of the licence, or in breach of its conditions, therefore ends in compensation of damages, and in the dispute the income the aggrieved party failed to receive will also be taken into account. For generated content this means that the absence of a clearly delimited licence does not merely create uncertainty — it creates measurable financial exposure.
What lies outside copyright altogether
The law also defines the works to which copyright does not extend: official documents — laws, court decisions, other administrative and normative texts — and their official translations; official state symbols; and information about facts and events. Content generated on the basis of such materials offers more freedom in that respect, although where official symbols are used under another's name the protection of the right to the author's name may still be invoked. The boundary always requires examination of the specific material — general assumptions here are dangerous.
Our service
We assist with the legal audit of generated content: we identify which elements are subject to copyright, draft licence agreements that fully reflect the statutory essential elements, and represent your interests when compensation for damage is claimed. Contact us for a consultation — we will assess your specific project and propose a safe structure for its exploitation.