Russia: Issued ruling in lawsuit regarding deepfake as an object of copyright (Reface Technologies v Business Analytics)

On 30 November 2023, the Moscow City Arbitration Court issued a ruling regarding deepfake as an object of copyright. The lawsuit concerned “Reface Technologies”, a company which creates deepfake videos, and “Business Analytics”, a software developer. “Reface Technologies” created a deepfake video featuring the actor Keanu Reeves, which “Business Analytics” downloaded and used without consent. The Court stated that deepfake is not a method of video creation but rather an “additional video processing tool”. Subsequently, the Court stated that a video containing deepfake can be copyright protected, and the illegitimate use is infringing on the rights of the author. The Court ordered the company “Business Analytics” to pay a compensation of RUB 500’000 (approximately EUR 5’000) to “Reface Technologies” for using the deepfake video without its consent.