Summary

Chatbots have become a part of day-to-day life, with their use increasing in tandem with the expansion of our digital society. As the professional literature makes clear by defining a chatbot as a computer system that acts as an interface between a user and a computer program by using oral or written language as the primary means of communication, it is important for a chatbot to understand what its user wants. Therefore, language technology is of key importance in the creation of these systems.

The article focuses on chatbot-related copyright issues, with particular emphasis placed on copyrighted material used in the creation of chatbots. The first half of the article is devoted to explaining the technological character of a chatbot, and the authors’ focus in the second part is on copyright. The focus is primarily on Estonian law, although European Union law, which contributes to the Estonian legal space, is covered also. Behind this emphasis is the fact that the development of Estonian language-related technology takes place on the basis of Estonian law.