Unjust Enrichment as a Remedy for AI's Unauthorised Use of Protected Data

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Li, Yangzi, Lee, Jyh-An
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Li, Yangzi
Lee, Jyh-An
author_facet Li, Yangzi
Lee, Jyh-An
contents The unauthorised use of data in the training of generative AI models presents significant legal challenges, particularly under intellectual property (IP) and privacy laws. These frameworks frequently grapple with the intricate relationship between data ownership and AI innovation, resulting in ongoing debates regarding optimal protection and enforceability. This article delves into considerable potential of unjust enrichment as an alternative legal doctrine for resolving disputes arising from such unauthorised data use. We explore how the concept of unjust enrichment captures the wrongfulness of unauthorised data use in a manner distinct from IP infringement and privacy violations. Furthermore, we analyse the extent to which gain-based restitution for unjust enrichment may prove more advantageous than existing remedies, including legal, equitable, and statutory options. We content that by shifting the emphasis from establishing wrongful conduct to recovering benefits obtained unjustly, unjust enrichment offers a pragmatic and equitable framework that reconciles the rights of data owners with the interests of AI developers.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_23503
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Unjust Enrichment as a Remedy for AI's Unauthorised Use of Protected Data
Li, Yangzi
Lee, Jyh-An
Computers and Society
The unauthorised use of data in the training of generative AI models presents significant legal challenges, particularly under intellectual property (IP) and privacy laws. These frameworks frequently grapple with the intricate relationship between data ownership and AI innovation, resulting in ongoing debates regarding optimal protection and enforceability. This article delves into considerable potential of unjust enrichment as an alternative legal doctrine for resolving disputes arising from such unauthorised data use. We explore how the concept of unjust enrichment captures the wrongfulness of unauthorised data use in a manner distinct from IP infringement and privacy violations. Furthermore, we analyse the extent to which gain-based restitution for unjust enrichment may prove more advantageous than existing remedies, including legal, equitable, and statutory options. We content that by shifting the emphasis from establishing wrongful conduct to recovering benefits obtained unjustly, unjust enrichment offers a pragmatic and equitable framework that reconciles the rights of data owners with the interests of AI developers.
title Unjust Enrichment as a Remedy for AI's Unauthorised Use of Protected Data
topic Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23503