---
title: "List copyright questions before geological data are used to train a tool"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/advise-on-copyright-risk-in-training-ai-on-geological-or-technical-data/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A13-B8-1-US"
practice_area: "Energy, Resources & Mining"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# List copyright questions before geological data are used to train a tool

> List each data set the lawyer names, the owner stated on the face of the license or contract, and whether the file is fixed in a tangible form as the lawyer describes it.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/advise-on-copyright-risk-in-training-ai-on-geological-or-technical-data/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Energy, Resources & Mining](https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | List each data set the lawyer names, the owner stated on the face of the license or contract, and whether the file is fixed in a tangible form as the lawyer describes it. Do not say the data are protected or unprotected, and do not apply a fair-use exception. |
| What the lawyer must review | 17 U.S.C. 102(a) provides that copyright protection subsists in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Works of authorship include the categories listed in that subsection. Section 102(b) provides that copyright protection for an original work of authorship does not extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied. Section 106, subject to sections 107 through 122, gives the owner the exclusive rights to do and to authorize the acts listed in that section, including reproduction, preparation of derivative works, and distribution of copies to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. Sections 107 through 122 were not opened. The lawyer decides whether any data set may be used. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Advise on copyright risk in training AI on geological or technical data](https://ailawframework.com/practice/energy-resources-and-mining/advise-on-copyright-risk-in-training-ai-on-geological-or-technical-data.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List each data set the lawyer names, the owner stated on the face of the license or contract, and whether the file is fixed in a tangible form as the lawyer describes it. Do not say the data are protected or unprotected, and do not apply a fair-use exception.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- Section 102(b) does not decide that a geological data set is, or is not, a work of authorship.
- Do not apply fair use. Sections 107 through 122 were not opened.

## Sources

- [17 U.S.C. 102, Subject matter of copyright: in general](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/102) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [17 U.S.C. 106, Exclusive rights in copyrighted works](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/106) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*