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Policy and regulation

Who owns ‘brain rot’? Inside the international legal drama over a beloved meme.

Guardian AIAnalysis or commentary·
AI brief

A legal dispute has emerged over ownership of the AI character Tung Tung Tung Sahur, an absurdist online video meme, as US copyright law applies only to human-made creations.

Why it matters: The case tests how copyright law applies to AI-generated characters, which currently fall outside US protections for human-made works.

Written by AI from Guardian AI's published text.

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“Copyright law in the US only applies to human-made creations, but AI characters like Tung Tung Tung Sahur are challenging that One of the most beloved characters in an absurdist genre of online video content has become the center of an international legal…”
Guardian AI, 06 Oct 2026, 14:00.

Interpretation or community commentary rather than straight reporting.

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