Can you use ChatGPT images commercially?
Yes
Yes, on every ChatGPT plan, Free included. OpenAI's terms say you own the output and it assigns you any rights it has. Two catches: other users may get similar images, and an image made from a prompt alone may not be protected by copyright.
Last verified 2026-10-17. Our reading of the quoted terms below, not legal advice.
Quick answers
Are ChatGPT images copyrighted?
OpenAI gives you whatever rights it has, but that doesn't create a copyright. In the US, the Copyright Office says an image generated from a prompt alone isn't protected. What you add yourself can be.
Are ChatGPT images copyright free?
Not in the sense of free for anyone to use: as between you and OpenAI, the terms make you the owner. But because a prompt-only image may have no copyright, you may have little power to stop others copying it.
Can I sell ChatGPT images on Etsy?
Yes. Etsy allows AI art made from your own prompts, as long as you say in the listing description that it was made with AI.
What happened to Sora?
OpenAI shut down Sora's app and web versions on 26 April 2026 and its API on 24 September 2026.
Plan by plan
| Plan | Can sell | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Free / Go / Plus / Pro | Yes | Output may not be unique; business plans are covered by separate business terms (not reviewed here). |
Every OpenAI ChatGPT images (Sora discontinued) plan and quote →
What the terms say
OpenAI ChatGPT images (Sora discontinued)
“As between you and OpenAI, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, you (a) retain your ownership rights in Input and (b) own the Output. We hereby assign to you all our right, title, and interest, if any, in and to Output.”
“Due to the nature of our Services and artificial intelligence generally, output may not be unique and other users may receive similar output from our Services.”
“The Sora web and app experiences were discontinued on April 26, 2026.”
“The Sora API will be discontinued on September 24, 2026.”
Owning an output under a tool's terms isn't the same as holding copyright in it. Can you copyright AI art, music and video? →
Plan your project
Pick what you're making and where you'll sell it. We'll list the tools you can sell from, plan by plan.
Open the plannerRelated questions
OpenAI's terms say you own the output and assign you any rights OpenAI has, though other users may get similar output.
OpenAI's terms say you own ChatGPT's output and assign you any rights OpenAI has in it.
Yes, if the tool's plan allows commercial use and the place you sell accepts AI work.
Sources
- OpenAI ChatGPT images (Sora discontinued) terms openai.com
- What to know about the Sora discontinuation (OpenAI Help Center) help.openai.com
- US Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability copyright.gov
- US Copyright Office: Registration guidance, works containing AI-generated material (88 FR 16190) copyright.gov
- US Copyright Office: Zarya of the Dawn decision letter copyright.gov
- Thaler v. Perlmutter, No. 23-5233 (D.C. Cir.) media.cadc.uscourts.gov
- Supreme Court docket 25-449: Thaler v. Perlmutter (petition denied) supremecourt.gov
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 9 legislation.gov.uk
- UK government: Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence gov.uk
- Council of the EU: Presidency summary of member states' contributions on generative AI and copyright (16710/1/24 REV 1) data.consilium.europa.eu
- Japan Copyright Office: General Understanding on AI and Copyright in Japan (overview) bunka.go.jp
- Beijing Internet Court: Li v. Liu, (2023) Jing 0491 Min Chu No. 11279 (English translation) english.bjinternetcourt.gov.cn
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