Intellectual Property Office consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Intellectual Property Office consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
There is an Intellectual Property Office (IPO) consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence – GOV.UK The consultation will run for 10 weeks. It commences at 10:30 on 17 December 2024 and will close at 23:59 on 25 February 2025.
The UK’s creative industries are under threat. Their intellectual property rights are at risk of being undermined to the benefit of generative artificial intelligence (AI) companies.
Creative works protected by copyright, such as music, images, videos, and literary works including books and news articles are routinely scraped from the internet by generative AI developers without permission or payment. These creative works are then used to train AI tools and generate unlimited numbers of outputs.
The creative industries thrive on the power of imaginative minds to tell stories through music, film, imagery and art, all underpinned by copyright protections. However, certain generative AI developers are calling on the UK government to weaken copyright protections, threatening creatives’ livelihoods.
The UK’s creative industries are worth £125bn to the economy and are growing at five times the rate of the economy as a whole. Our creative talent, which brings pride to our communities and is celebrated globally, could be jeopardised if copyright protections are weakened.
Creators want to embrace generative AI and realise the many opportunities it offers. But this will only be possible if the Government takes action to:
- Protect copyright, in turn supporting a dynamic licensing market that ensures creators are fairly remunerated and provides certainty for businesses.
- Introduce meaningful transparency obligations on generative AI developers to disclose detailed information on all creative works used in AI training.
- Take advantage of the UK’s world-leading creative and tech sectors to set a global standard for AI that supports, not undermines, the creative industries.
Supporting the new exception to copyright proposed in the consultation launched by the government is the equivalent to the turkey looking forward to Christmas. Please see section C1
The priority is to ensure that current copyright laws are respected and enforceable.
“We’ve joined over 40 organisations in the Creative Righs in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coalition, calling on the Government to safeguard the value of human creativity.
In 2024, the Members’ Council established clear AI principles to champion and advance the rights of PRS members. We believe AI should operate within a strong regulatory framework which upholds the principles of copyright, consent and fair pay, with transparency obligations on AI companies so creators can know if and how their works are used.
Facing powerful lobbying by major tech firms, the creative industries will need a united voice to be heard. That’s why we’re asking you to write to your MP to tell them that you do not accept your rights being watered down for the commercial gain of AI companies.
Working with the Coalition, we’ve built an easy-to-use template that can be adapted to include your personal views and context, or you’re free to use it as is – both options help us campaign to protect your rights.”