Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

From DeepSeek to Distillation: Protecting IP In An AI World

By Robert Hulse and Stuart Meyer and Tyler Newby and Fredrick Tsang
March 01, 2025

A flurry of developments in late January 2025 has caused quite a buzz in the AI world. On January 20, DeepSeek released a new open-source AI model called R1 and an accompanying research paper. R1 was touted as performing comparably to proprietary frontier models at a fraction of the cost, with drastically reduced computational resources needed both to train and run the model. DeepSeek explained that it used new techniques in reinforcement learning, but others suspect that it might also have benefitted from unauthorized model distillation. Within a week, there was a strong market reaction, with AI-related semiconductor stocks dropping more than 10% on January 27.

Just a few days later, on January 29, the U.S. Copyright Office published the second installment of its three-part Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence — this part focusing on the copyrightability of AI-generated outputs. In that report, the Copyright Office analyzed the amount and nature of human contribution needed to bring AI outputs within the scope of U.S. copyright protection. It concluded that existing law remains appropriate for the new AI technologies and that mere prompts generally do not meet the standard of human contribution needed for copyright protection. It gathered and considered public comments for its analysis but rejected arguments that legal change is necessary to counter international competition, such as foreign entities distilling U.S. frontier models.

This premium content is locked for Cybersecurity Law & Strategy subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

Compliance Officers: Recent Regulatory Guidance and Enforcement Actions and Mitigating the Risk of Personal Liability Image

This article explores legal developments over the past year that may impact compliance officer personal liability.