[wvenable]

The human brain has 100 billion neurons, is it just effectively compressing everything that it's ever seen? I don't actually know but my feeling is no.

If I ask you to draw Mickey Mouse, you can probably produce a very good representation of him. If I asked you to write the script of The Matrix, assuming you've seen it, I suspect you'd get all the plot points down and major quotes even if it has been years since you've seen it. Are you creating a copy? Absolutely! Don't distribute either of those things without a license. But does the fact that you are capable of making a copy of a thing when asked mean that you've violated copyright way back when you watched the Matrix? Is there a copy of the Matrix or Mickey Mouse in your brain?

I will take the strong position that neither our brains nor LLMs contain copies of data in the way that is a violation of copyright. But both are equally capable of generating copyright violating materials.

[pfdietz]

However, one can memorize something like a book, particularly if one uses known "memory palace" techniques. Some individuals are particularly good at this.