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Enforcement or court caseMediaUSConfirmed

US Copyright Office excludes Midjourney images from Zarya of the Dawn registration

See how this story connects

Source: US Copyright Office

In a letter dated 21 February 2023, the US Copyright Office cancelled the registration of Kristina Kashtanova’s comic Zarya of the Dawn and issued a narrower one. The new registration covers her text and the selection and arrangement of text and images, and excludes the images generated with Midjourney.

Why it matters

Creators using image generators learned that the US would register their own text and arrangement but not the machine-generated images inside a work.

When
21 Feb 2023
ID
WTA-N-2023-0046
Who
US Copyright Office, Midjourney; Kristina Kashtanova
Topics
Copyright
Authority
US Copyright Office
Target
Kristina Kashtanova (Zarya of the Dawn)
Action
registration narrowed
Status
decided · Enforcement ledger

Summary by wheresthe.ai, from US Copyright Office. Checked against the source on 9 Oct 2026.

Read the original at US Copyright Office

Source copy: download the source PDF as saved on 18 Oct 2026 (PDF). Document the source offers: the source PDF. Also held by the Internet Archive.

Next stop on this Storyline: Led toUS Copyright Office requires applicants to disclose and disclaim AI-generated material

Cite this story

WTA-N-2023-0046: “US Copyright Office excludes Midjourney images from Zarya of the Dawn registration.” wheresthe.ai, 21 Feb 2023. https://wheresthe.ai/d/us-copyright-office-zarya-of-the-dawn-2023-02/ (source: US Copyright Office).

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