I think it's worth noting that one of the things that makes this question so vexing is that this topic really is pretty novel. We've only had a few machines lik

I think it's worth noting that one of the things that makes this question so vexing is that this topic really is pretty novel. We've only had a few machines like this in history and almost no legal precedent around how they should be treated. I can't remember anyone ever bringing suit over a Markov chain engine, for example, and fabricating one is basically "baby's first introductory 'machine intelligence' project" these days (partially because the output sucks, so nobody has ever felt they have something to lose from competing with a Markov engine). Existing copyright precedent serves this use-case poorly, and so the question is far more philosophical than legal; there's a good case to be made that there's no law clearly governing this kind of machine, only loose-fit analogies that degenerate badly upon further scrutiny.