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Venable Podcast Examines AI-IP Law Differences in China, UK, US

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Why it matters

Venable LLP hosted a special episode of its podcast AI and IP: The Legal Frontier on April 30, 2026, bringing together Justin Pierce (co-chair of Venable's Intellectual Property Division), Jason Yao of China's Wanhuida law firm, and Toby Bond of UK-based Bird & Bird to examine how artificial intelligence is fracturing intellectual property law across jurisdictions. The discussion centered on three distinct regulatory approaches: China's willingness to protect AI-generated outputs when meaningful human input is present; the UK and EU's insistence on human authorship and originality; and the US framework built on human contribution and fair use doctrine.

The panelists identified significant gaps in current law around AI training data and autonomous systems—what the discussion termed "agentic AI." Questions remain unresolved about ownership rights, liability allocation, and how courts will verify human involvement in AI-assisted creation. These uncertainties have not yet produced clear guidance from regulators or courts in any major jurisdiction.

Companies operating across borders face immediate compliance exposure. The divergence means a single AI-generated work or training dataset may receive different legal treatment depending on where it's used or challenged. Attorneys should advise clients to implement documented governance frameworks, employee training protocols, and technical controls that can demonstrate human involvement in AI processes—the common thread across all three jurisdictions examined.

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