I guess the real question now is "can a style be copyrighted?" It is not trivial and the edges are hard to define, since for most of us it is mostly I know it where I see it thing. In other words: what is the difference between imitation and inspiration.

The next question is: "does it actually matter?" Is the legacy of Elvis threatened by his impersonators? How much does a tribute band owe to the original? In most cases, the original only gains from their imitators, simply because it makes it even more desirable against all the copies in circulation. The true value is still in conquering terra incognita, by whatever means possible, even AI algorithms.