Microsoft promises to defend Copilot customers in case of copyright infringement

Microsoft today made a huge announcement for enterprise customers who are concerned about the risk of IP infringement claims if they use the output produced by generative AI. Through the new Microsoft Copilot Copyright Commitment, Microsoft will take care of potential legal risks involved in using the output from following Microsoft Copilot services.

• Bing Chat Enterprise
• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Windows Copilot
• Dynamics 365 Copilot
• GitHub Copilot
• Copilot in Power BI
• Microsoft Security Copilot
• Copilot in Viva Sales
• Copilot in Power Platform

In simple terms, if someone sues Microsoft’s commercial customer for copyright infringement for using Microsoft’s Copilots or the output they generate, Microsoft will defend the customer and pay the amount of any adverse judgments or settlements that result from the lawsuit. The only condition is that Microsoft’s customers should have used the guardrails and content filters recommended by Microsoft.

“Today’s announcement is a first step. Like all new technologies, AI raises legal questions that our industry will need to work through with a wide array of stakeholders. This step represents a pledge to our customers that the copyright liability of our products is ours to shoulder, not theirs,” wrote Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President, Hossein Nowbar, CVP and Chief Legal Officer.