A new study suggests that combining digital watermarking with artificial intelligence will accelerate the resolution of copyright infringement cases.

This technology will enhance the assessment of potential violations and make it easier to file lawsuits. It will also enable courts to obtain more evidence.

However, experts warn that the increasing use of watermarks and artificial intelligence makes detection easier, which may lead to a surge in small-scale disputes.

Existing laws mean that artificial intelligence can be used for arbitration and mediation, by examining data and supporting the use of robot judges to help make decisions.

The study was conducted by James Griffin from the University of Exeter Law School, Kyriaki Noussia and Stanislava Nedeva from the University of Reading, Stavros Zervoudakis, Vice President of AI at American Mutual Financial Group, Jonathan Lux from Lux Mediation, and John McNamara, an IBM Fellow and Honorary Professor at IBM.

The researchers applied existing AI systems to copyright case law to understand how they read and comprehend cases and produce results in disputes related to 3D printing. They found that more complex watermarks lead to faster and more accurate resolutions.

Currently, digital fingerprint watermarks are used for digital services like YouTube. This type of watermark can also be used in traditional physical media and new technologies like 3D printing.

Professor Griffin said, "Artificial intelligence will fundamentally change legal administration due to the intersection between digital watermarking and machine learning. It can use digital fingerprint watermarks and natural language programming techniques to quickly and effectively resolve 3D printing copyright disputes.

"This provides more detailed evidence of infringement than ever before and provides computers with a way to interact directly with this information for copyright enforcement. The laws in these areas are encouraging technology to develop in specific directions, which will further increase the dissemination of the law and its interaction with artificial intelligence.

"This will mean more disputes and, consequently, more discussions about the boundaries of copyright survival."

The study outlines how artificial intelligence helps streamline the process before online copyright infringement hearings and supports faster, more neutral resolution of 3D printing copyright disputes through the use of ADR methods and machine learning.

Professor Griffin said, "The integration of artificial intelligence in arbitration promotes consistency and predictability in decision-making. AI-driven analysis can help identify patterns and trends in past arbitration awards, enabling parties and arbitrators to make wiser and more reliable judgments.

"AI can assist arbitrators in case and process management, fact gathering and analysis, and decision-making by providing predictive models."