INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GOVERNANCE IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
REGULATORY FRAGMENTATION AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF DIGITAL AUTHORITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54934/ijlcw.v5i1.186Keywords:
Artificial Intelligence, Intellectual Property Governance, Regulatory Fragmentation, Algorithmic Creativity, Digital Governance, Inteligencia artificial, gobernanza de la propiedad intelectual, fragmentación regulatoria, creatividad algorítmica, gobernanza digital, 知识产权治理, 监管碎片化, 算法创造力, 数字治理Abstract
Regulatory fragmentation surrounding artificial Intelligence (AI) and intellectual property governance reflects deeper transformations in the organization of digital authority rather than mere doctrinal inconsistency. Existing scholarship frequently approaches AI-related copyright and patent disputes through narrow legal formalism, offering limited explanation of how algorithmic creativity reconfigures governance relations between states, multinational technology corporations, and transnational digital infrastructures. Using a comparative socio-legal and interpretive governance framework, this article analyzes legislation, judicial decisions, and regulatory instruments across the United States, the European Union, China, and selected Global South jurisdictions. The findings demonstrate that fragmented regulatory responses emerge from competing governance rationalities concerning technological sovereignty, innovation control, platform governance, and digital economic power. The article reconceptualizes intellectual property law as a contested governance arena through which authority over algorithmic production and digital innovation is increasingly negotiated within transnational technological ecosystems.
__________
La gobernanza de la propiedad intelectual en la era de la inteligencia artificial: fragmentación regulatoria y transformación de la autoridad digital
La fragmentación regulatoria en torno a la inteligencia artificial (IA) y la gobernanza de la propiedad intelectual refleja transformaciones más profundas en la organización de la autoridad digital, más que una mera inconsistencia doctrinal. La literatura académica existente suele abordar las disputas sobre derechos de autor y patentes relacionadas con la IA desde un formalismo jurídico estrecho, ofreciendo una explicación limitada de cómo la creatividad algorítmica reconfigura las relaciones de gobernanza entre Estados, corporaciones tecnológicas multinacionales e infraestructuras digitales transnacionales. Mediante un marco comparativo sociojurídico y de gobernanza interpretativa, este artículo analiza la legislación, las decisiones judiciales y los instrumentos regulatorios de Estados Unidos, la Unión Europea, China y determinadas jurisdicciones del Sur Global. Los resultados demuestran que las respuestas regulatorias fragmentadas surgen de racionalidades de gobernanza en pugna relativas a la soberanía tecnológica, el control de la innovación, la gobernanza de plataformas y el poder económico digital. El artículo reconceptualiza el derecho de propiedad intelectual como un ámbito de gobernanza en disputa, a través del cual la autoridad sobre la producción algorítmica y la innovación digital se negocia cada vez más en el seno de ecosistemas tecnológicos transnacionales.
__________
人工智能时代的知识产权治理:监管碎片化与数字权力的重构
围绕人工智能(AI)与知识产权治理的监管碎片化现象,反映了数字权力组织形式的深层变革,而不仅仅是法律教义上的不一致。既有研究往往局限于狭隘的法律形式主义视角来探讨与AI相关的版权及专利纠纷,难以充分阐释算法创造力如何重塑国家、跨国科技公司与跨国数字基础设施之间的治理关系。本文采用比较社会法律与解释性治理的分析框架,考察了美国、欧盟、中国及部分“全球南方”国家和地区的立法、司法判决与监管举措。研究发现,监管响应的碎片化源于各方在技术主权、创新控制、平台治理及数字经济权力等议题上相互竞争的治理逻辑。本文将知识产权法重新界定为一个充满博弈的治理场域;在这一场域中,针对算法生产与数字创新的权力,正日益在跨国技术生态系统中通过各种互动与协商得以重构。
References
Abbott, R. (2020). The Reasonable Robot. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108631761
Alba Betancourt, A. G. (2025). Desafíos para la propiedad intelectual ante las nuevas formas de creación en la era digital: redes sociales e inteligencia artificial. Boletín Mexicano de Derecho Comparado, e20264. https://doi.org/10.22201/iij.24484873e.2025.174.20264
Al-Sharieh, S. (2025). Copyright Denied for Generative AI: Remarks on Thaler v Perlmutter. Utrecht Journal of International and European Law, 40(1), 48–54. https://doi.org/10.5334/ujiel.644
Beaumier, G., & Gjesvik, L. (2025). Digital Governance in a Rubber Band: Structural Constraints in Governing a Global Digital Economy. Global Studies Quarterly, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksaf043
Black, J. (1997). New Institutionalism and Naturalism in Socio‐Legal Analysis: Institutionalist Approaches to Regulatory Decision Making. Law & Policy, 19(1), 51–93. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9930.00021
Cohen, J. E. (2019). Between Truth and Power. Oxford University PressNew York. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190246693.001.0001
Cooper, Z., Martens, B., Peukert, C., & Stocker, V. (2025). The Law and Economics of Generative AI and Copyright: A Primer to Core Challenges for Our Digital Future. Review of Network Economics, 24(3), 161–176. https://doi.org/10.1515/rne-2025-0039
DeNardis, L. (2012). HIDDEN LEVERS OF INTERNET CONTROL. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 720–738. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.659199
Ferran, C. F. L. (2025). Global AI Legislation and Copyright Law: Exploring Permissible Uses and Limitations of Copyrighted Data in AI Development. 2025 13th International Conference on Information Management and Engineering (ICIME), 160–166. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIME66598.2025.00037
Flóres, G., & Acero Alba, M. A. (2025). La autoría en tiempos de ChatGPT: nuevos desafíos para el derecho de autor. Revista Iberoamericana de La Propiedad Intelectual, 23(00). https://doi.org/10.26422/RIPI.2025.2300.flo
Fontana, Avv. G. (2025). Intellectual property protection in the era of artificial intelligence and the problem of generative platforms. The Journal of World Intellectual Property, 28(3), 783–801. https://doi.org/10.1111/jwip.12355
Galgano, N. Z. (2026). The 2024 EU Regulation on Artificial Intelligence: A Perspective. European Business Law Review, 37(Issue 3), 459–490. https://doi.org/10.54648/EULR2026018
Göksal, Ş. İ., Vasquez, M. C. S., & Chochia, A. (2024). The EU AI Act’s Alignment within the European Union’s Regulatory Framework on Artificial Intelligence. International and Comparative Law Review, 24(2), 25–53. https://doi.org/10.2478/iclr-2024-0017
Gooding, R. E. (1920). Recognizing Partial AI Authorship: Toward a More Permissive Copyright Regime. Wisconsin Law Review. https://doi.org/10.59015/wlr.ZDOK3241
Graves, F. (2025). AI agents. In Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Artificial Intelligence and the Law (pp. 11–13). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035336906.00009
Grech, A., Ellul, J., Revolidis, I., & Grech, J. (2025). AI, Social Media Platforms, Decentralization, and Regulatory Dilemmas. In Handbook of Global Philosophies on AI Ethics (pp. 243–256). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003585527-23
Hassan, Y. (2023). Governing algorithms from the South: a case study of AI development in Africa. AI & SOCIETY, 38(4), 1429–1442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01527-7
Hildebrandt, M. (2015). Smart Technologies and the End(s) of Law. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781849808774
Katleho, A. (2024). The Evolution of Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Age. Journal of Modern Law and Policy, 4(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.47941/jmlp.2158
Kazimi, J., & Thalwal, H. (2024). Legal Implications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Algorithms in Intellectual Property Protection: A Comparative Analysis. 2024 7th International Conference on Green Technology and Sustainable Development (GTSD), 32–38. https://doi.org/10.1109/GTSD62346.2024.10675218
Krause, D. (2025). The EU AI Act and the Future of AI Governance: Implications for U.S. Firms and Policymakers. In Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law (pp. 239–268). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-97389-5_9
Kugler, K., & Tavengerwei, R. (2024). Navigating Digital Sovereignty: Implications for African Countries. Global Trade and Customs Journal, 19(Issue 7/8), 471–483. https://doi.org/10.54648/GTCJ2024058
Kulothungan, V., & Gupta, D. (2025). Towards Adaptive AI Governance: Comparative Insights from the U.S., EU, and Asia. 2025 IEEE 11th Conference on Big Data Security on Cloud (BigDataSecurity), 32–38. https://doi.org/10.1109/BigDataSecurity66063.2025.00018
Kumar, A. (2026). Legal and Regulatory Frameworks Governing Generative AI for Enterprises. In GenAI and LLMs for Beyond 5G Networks (pp. 39–81). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-06418-9_3
Kumar, S., & Yadav, A. (2024). Recent trends in major world jurisdictions regarding copyright law and works generated by artificial intelligence: A comparative analysis of the European union, the United States, and Japan. 040009. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0235002
Larionova, M. (2025). Trends and Risks in Shaping Global Digital Governance. International Organisations Research Journal, 20(1), 202–228. https://doi.org/10.17323/1996-7845-2025-01-11
Lau, P. L. (2025). The AI Act and Data Protection: The Interplay Between Artificial Intelligence and Data: The AI Act and the GDPR (pp. 289–313). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-98406-8_12
Levi-Faur, D., Kariv-Teitelbaum, Y., & Medzini, R. (2021). Regulatory Governance: History, Theories, Strategies, and Challenges. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.1430
Li, C., Ma, P., & Zhong, Y. (2026). Regulatory fragmentation and corporate ESG performance: Evidence from China. Research in International Business and Finance, 87, 103413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2026.103413
Mallinson, D. J., Azevedo, L., Best, E., Robles, P., & Wang, J. (2024). The Future of AI Is in the States: The Case of Autonomous Vehicle Policies. Business and Politics, 26(2), 180–199. https://doi.org/10.1017/bap.2023.19
Marsoof, A. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and Inventorship (pp. 39–46). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-8457-8_4
Martinho, D., Sobreiro, P., Domingues, A., Martinho, F., & Nogueira, N. (2026). Ethical Responsibility in Medical AI: A Semi-Systematic Thematic Review and Multilevel Governance Model. Healthcare, 14(3), 287. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14030287
Neubauer, A., Wynn, M., & Bown, R. (2026). AI, Authorship, Copyright, and Human Originality. Encyclopedia, 6(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia6010009
Ramos-Zaga, F. A. (2025). Reconceptualizing Human Authorship in the Age of Generative AI: A Normative Framework for Copyright Thresholds. Laws, 14(6), 84. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws14060084
Regilme, S. S. (2026). The digital oligarchic public sphere: contesting human rights in the age of billionaires. Globalizations, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2026.2657672
Roșca, C., & Repanovici, A. (2025). How to Consider Industrial Property and Patents When Using Artificial Intelligence for Creation. International Maritime Transport and Logistic Journal, 14(0), 260. https://doi.org/10.21622/MARLOG.2025.14.1.59
Singh, B., & Kaunert, C. (2024). Cherish Intellectual Property Towards Global Economic Growth and Competitiveness (pp. 138–162). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-5503-9.ch008
Suzor, N. (2018). Digital Constitutionalism: Using the Rule of Law to Evaluate the Legitimacy of Governance by Platforms. Social Media + Society, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118787812
Tang, S. (2025). Patent, Still a Leading Indicator in AI Technology Innovation? (pp. 87–100). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-73639-1_5
Tetiana Kolomoiets, Maryna Velykanova, Marina Kravets, Hanna Blinova, & Oleh Posykaliuk. (2026). Legislation on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in European Union Countries. Nusantara: Journal of Law Studies, 5(1), 269–287. https://doi.org/10.66325/nusantaralaw.v5i1.233
Vadisetty, R. (2025). Navigating Copyright and Fair Use in AI Training Data: Legal Challenges and Future Solutions. 2025 International Conference on Advancements in Smart, Secure and Intelligent Computing (ASSIC), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1109/ASSIC64892.2025.11158012
Wang, S., & Ni, C. (2026). Comparative Analysis of Quantum Technology Policies in the United States and China: Strategic Directions and Philosophical Foundations. Quantum Reports, 8(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/quantum8010009
Wang, S., Zhang, Y., Xiao, Y., & Liang, Z. (2025). Artificial intelligence policy frameworks in China, the European Union and the United States: An analysis based on structure topic model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 212, 123971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.123971
Weymouth, S. (2025). Digital Disintegration: Techno-Blocs and Strategic Sovereignty in the AI Era. International Organization, 79(S1), S57–S70. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818325101070
Yang, S. (2025). Optimizing Copyright Subject and Originality Rules for AI-Generated Software. Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Computer Technology, Digital Media and Communication, 542–546. https://doi.org/10.1145/3783669.3783752
Zhang, L., & Zou, M. (2025). Navigating China’s Regulatory Approach to Generative AI. In The Cambridge Handbook of Generative AI and the Law (pp. 134–150). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009492553.013
Zhang, N., Tian, X., & Ma, Z. (2026). The Coordination of China’s Intellectual Property Policies: A Quantitative Analysis Based on Policy Texts. Sage Open, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440261416239
Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: Surveillance Capitalism and the Prospects of an Information Civilization. Journal of Information Technology, 30(1), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.1057/jit.2015.5
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ujang Badru Jaman, Armansyah, Thomas Sheku Marah

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.














