KC Green settles copyright dispute with AI startup Artisan

Artist KC Green and AI startup Artisan have reached an agreement to resolve a dispute over the unauthorized use of his artwork in promotional materials. The dispute arose after the startup used a version of Green’s art to promote its AI assistant, Ava. When contacted by TechCrunch, Green confirmed the resolution. “reached a settlement pretty quick,” said artist KC Green. As part of the agreement, Artisan is taking down the advertisements in New York and San Francisco that featured the artwork, while Green is taking down his initial social media post criticizing the company. The resolution comes after the startup’s founder and CEO, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, said earlier this week that the two sides had come to an agreement.

The conflict began earlier this month when Artisan used a modified version of Green’s This is fine cartoon—the famous meme created by KC Green—to promote Ava. In Artisan’s bus and subway advertisements, Green’s recognizable dog character sat amid recognizable flames. However, instead of the character’s original line, the advertisement declared that the pipeline was on fire, and urged viewers to hire Ava, the AI Business Development Representative. Green publicly criticized the campaign on social media, claiming his artwork had been stolen like AI steals and urging his followers to vandalize the physical advertisements if they saw them.

Before the settlement, Green had expressed frustration regarding the legal hurdles of protecting his intellectual property, telling TechCrunch he was frustrated about having to try my hand at the American court system instead of putting that time into his comics. Artisan, which stated it has a lot of respect for Green and his work, moved to resolve the dispute. The rapid agreement highlights how quickly public backlash and potential legal action can push AI startups to settle copyright disputes with creators.

Why it matters

This settlement highlights the ongoing friction between AI companies and creators over copyright, providing a quick resolution to a public dispute that involved both social media backlash and potential legal action.