Gruffalo illustrator considers legal action in Germany against AI firms

Axel Scheffler, the illustrator behind The Gruffalo, is “seriously considering” legal action in Germany against AI firms he says reproduce his work without permission. Speaking to BBC London, he disclosed that he had contacted a German lawyer and was discussing possible action with his publishers.

This is a possible legal challenge, not a filed lawsuit. Scheffler has not named any company that he or his legal team might pursue.

Recognizable characters in unfamiliar settings

Scheffler said he had tried to ignore AI until someone showed him digital recreations of his best-known characters. The images placed them in settings including Silicon Valley and Oktoberfest. What shocked him was seeing characters he recognized as his own inside otherwise generated scenes.

The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Scheffler, has been on children’s bookshelves since 1999. The books have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide. His objection concerns what he describes as reproduction of those familiar creations, rather than simply the existence of AI-made pictures.

Germany offers a possible route, not a guaranteed result

Scheffler is considering Germany because he believes the European Union is more favorable to creators. Nick Buckland, an intellectual-property lawyer at London firm Lewis Silkin, told the BBC that Germany could offer a route for artists seeking to protect their work.

Buckland pointed to two German cases in which music collecting societies had won against AI companies. In his account, the societies showed that the companies had copied song lyrics word for word and presented them. Those examples concern lyrics, rather than a ruling on Scheffler’s illustrations.

AI firms have argued that using copyrighted material to train their models does not necessarily infringe copyright. Buckland described that training-versus-copying distinction as part of their defense. It is a different position from Scheffler’s assertion that the generated images reproduce his protected characters.

Stopping use, rather than seeking a payout

Scheffler said any action would not be about compensation. His stated aim is to stop AI firms using artists’ work without permission and to protect creators now and in the future. He framed the issue as extending beyond his own position as an established illustrator.

James Coupe, head of the Royal College of Art’s Artificial Intelligence programme, welcomed Scheffler’s contribution. He argued that treating the debate as a choice between embracing AI and rejecting it misses a more important question: who shapes the technology and whose interests it serves.

Scheffler also defended the value of making pictures by hand. He said AI could never replace the hand-drawn image and encouraged artists to continue drawing.