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V O L . X X X N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 2 4 8 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E housing units, with the goal of trans- forming an under-used area along Congress Avenue, west of the down- town, into a residential neighbor- hood for families of all incomes. e Congress Avenue corridor envisioned for development is within walking distance to two schools, two shop- ping centers, a business park and the local YMCA. Bath's housing stock is limited and aging, the city says. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Downeast Salmon Federation in Columbia Falls announced that it ac- quired a 4-acre property, ensuring perma- nent public access to the West Branch of the Narraguagus River as well as the iconic "falls" at the end of Sprague Falls Road in Cherryfield. The acquisition was made possible through the support of Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Ram Island Conservation Fund. Q: If I use AI to write something, do I hold a copyright in the content? ACE advises: Copyright law protects an author's interest in the author's unique expression of an idea. The idea is not protected, only the expression. "Hamlet" and "The Lion King" share many plot elements, but If Shakespeare were still alive, he would not have an infringement action against Disney. Now, open ChatGPT and type, "Write a short story based on Hamlet where Hamlet is an alligator" in the dialog box. The expression does not need to be profound; it simply has to be origi- nal. ChatGPT is no Shakespeare, but if ChatGPT were human, it could claim a copyright in the result. However, only human authors receive copyright protection. This means that if you use AI to write something, you should be clear on where human content ends and algorithm content begins. How? According to ChatGPT, "If you significantly modify or contribute to the AI-generated content, you could hold copyright in those original contributions." There is no hard and fast rule defining significant modification. While you might hear about a 30% rule (change 30% of the words, and you're in the clear) it is a myth. The change needs to be transformative, injecting original creative input into the work. If you want to register for a copyright in the work, you are expected to identify AI-generated material. The law in this area is new and developing. Recently, the U.S. Copyright Office granted a copyright to an author who had combined original text with AI-generated illustrations — but only for the text. I doubt the ChatGPT quote will deep-six the copyright in this article. It is a short example, used for journalistic purposes. I could re-word it, but there are only a handful of other ways to express the idea in a sentence. Besides, the other 275 words are mine. A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y C a r r i e G r e e n Y a r d l e y , Y a r d l e y E s q . P L L C The Association for Consulting Expertise is a nonprofit group of independent consultants who value "Success through collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Carrie Green Yardley, founder of Yardley Esq. PLLC, is vice president ACE and a contributing writer to Mainebiz. If you would like to learn more about preparing content for publication, register for ACE's Sept. 19 free online program, "How to Write so Others Will Read It." The program features Paula Mahony of Words at Work, with an introduction by Mainebiz Editor Peter Van Allen. The program runs from 10:00-11:30 a.m. W E B U I L D R E L A T I O N S H I P S 207.282.7697 NCORMIER@PMCONSTRUCTION.COM WWW.PMCONSTRUCTION.COM Invite your guests to an event, not a function hall thompsonspoint.com B O O K I N G N O W T H R O U G H E N D O F 2 0 2 5 Thompson's Point — Portland, Maine

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