This article highlights a “landmark” November 2023 ruling by the Beijing Internet Court, which for the first time confirmed that AI‑generated images—specifically those produced via Stable Diffusion with creative prompting and refinement—can qualify for copyright under Chinese law. It explains how the court analysed key concepts like “originality” and “intellectual achievement,” crediting the prompt engineer—not the AI model—as the true author. The ruling signals China’s judicial readiness to grapple with AI‑driven creativity and sets an actionable precedent for IP ownership in generative AI cases. Legal professionals will find its deep dive into authorship criteria especially relevant. Click through to explore the court’s detailed reasoning and its implications for future AI‑related IP strategy.