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Incident 240: GitHub Copilot, Copyright Infringement and Open Source Licensing

Description: Users of GitHub Copilot can produce source code subject to license requirements without attributing and licensing the code to the rights holder.

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Alleged: GitHub developed an AI system deployed by GitHub and programmers, which harmed Intellectual Property rights holders.

Incident Stats

Incident ID
240
Report Count
5
Incident Date
2021-06-29
Editors
Sean McGregor
Applied Taxonomies
GMF, MIT

GMF Taxonomy Classifications

Taxonomy Details

Known AI Goal Snippets

One or more snippets that justify the classification.
 

(Snippet Text: GitHub Copilot draws context from the code you’re working on, suggesting whole lines or entire functions., Related Classifications: Code Generation)

Known AI Goal Classification Discussion

Free text with comments justifying the chosen classification (e.g. based on information on selected snippets and technical analysis), if needed.
 

Code Generation: Classifying as‘potential’, since it is heavily contested in the article.

MIT Taxonomy Classifications

Machine-Classified
Taxonomy Details

Risk Subdomain

A further 23 subdomains create an accessible and understandable classification of hazards and harms associated with AI
 

7.3. Lack of capability or robustness

Risk Domain

The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies risks into seven AI risk domains: (1) Discrimination & toxicity, (2) Privacy & security, (3) Misinformation, (4) Malicious actors & misuse, (5) Human-computer interaction, (6) Socioeconomic & environmental harms, and (7) AI system safety, failures & limitations.
 
  1. AI system safety, failures, and limitations

Entity

Which, if any, entity is presented as the main cause of the risk
 

AI

Timing

The stage in the AI lifecycle at which the risk is presented as occurring
 

Post-deployment

Intent

Whether the risk is presented as occurring as an expected or unexpected outcome from pursuing a goal
 

Unintentional

Incident Reports

Reports Timeline

+3
Introducing GitHub Copilot: your AI pair programmer
Analyzing the Legal Implications of GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot litigation
Introducing GitHub Copilot: your AI pair programmer

Introducing GitHub Copilot: your AI pair programmer

github.blog

Tweet Showing Memorized Code

Tweet Showing Memorized Code

twitter.com

GitHub Copilot, Copyright Infringement and Open Source Licensing

GitHub Copilot, Copyright Infringement and Open Source Licensing

thenewstack.io

Analyzing the Legal Implications of GitHub Copilot

Analyzing the Legal Implications of GitHub Copilot

fossa.com

GitHub Copilot litigation

GitHub Copilot litigation

githubcopilotlitigation.com

Introducing GitHub Copilot: your AI pair programmer
github.blog · 2021

Today, we're launching a technical preview of GitHub Copilot, a new AI pair programmer that helps you write better code. GitHub Copilot draws context from the code you’re working on, suggesting whole lines or entire functions. It helps you …

Tweet Showing Memorized Code
twitter.com · 2021

AIID Editor note: The tweet shows a video of the GitHub Copilot model incrementally producing many lines of code found in an open source licensed work.

Tweet: I don't want to say anything but that's not the right license Mr Copilot.

GitHub Copilot, Copyright Infringement and Open Source Licensing
thenewstack.io · 2021

Earlier this week, GitHub introduced GitHub Copilot, a new feature that it is referring to as “your AI pair programmer” but might also be appropriately called “IntelliSense on steroids.” Built using OpenAI Codex, a new system that the compa…

Analyzing the Legal Implications of GitHub Copilot
fossa.com · 2021

The software engineering world has been buzzing in recent days following the release of GitHub Copilot — a machine learning-based programming assistant. Copilot aims to help developers work faster and more efficiently by auto-suggesting lin…

GitHub Copilot litigation
githubcopilotlitigation.com · 2022

We’ve filed a lawsuit challenging GitHub Copilot, an AI product that relies on unprecedented open-source software piracy. Because AI needs to be fair & ethical for everyone.

Hello. This is Matthew Butterick. On October 17 I told you that I …

Variants

A "variant" is an incident that shares the same causative factors, produces similar harms, and involves the same intelligent systems as a known AI incident. Rather than index variants as entirely separate incidents, we list variations of incidents under the first similar incident submitted to the database. Unlike other submission types to the incident database, variants are not required to have reporting in evidence external to the Incident Database. Learn more from the research paper.
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