TechnologyAugust 16, 2026
transformative
trans-FOR-muh-tiv
Definition
A legal concept in fair use doctrine referring to a use of copyrighted material that adds new expression, meaning, or purpose, rather than simply superseding or replacing the original work.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'transformare,' meaning to change in shape or appearance, it entered English through Old French and Middle English to denote a fundamental change in form or nature.
In the news
In the article, the term is used to describe the argument that AI training on copyrighted books is permissible because the model learns from the work to create something new rather than merely reproducing it.
Anthropic paid $1.5 billion over books! Here is where AI copyright law actually stands now
Read the full article ↗WION