UK Proposes New Copyright Framework to Address AI’s Impact on Content Use

On December 17, 2024, the U.K. government launched a public consultation on “Copyright and Artificial Intelligence,” outlining potential changes to the nation’s copyright laws in response to the rapid growth of AI technologies. The consultation focuses on adjusting the existing framework to balance the interests of content creators, AI developers, and consumers.

According to a statement issued by the government, the proposal aims to achieve three key objectives. First, it seeks to ensure that content creators retain control over their work, particularly with respect to the ability to be compensated when AI developers utilize their content. This could be facilitated through licensing agreements. Second, the government intends to foster the development of leading AI models in the U.K. by enabling developers to access and use substantial volumes of online content for training purposes. Third, the proposal advocates for transparency measures that would increase trust between the creative industries and the AI sector. Specifically, AI developers may be required to disclose the works used to train their models, and AI-generated content could be labeled as such.

One of the most notable aspects of the consultation is the introduction of a new text and data mining (TDM) exception. This exception would allow TDM activities for any purpose, including commercial use, without infringing on copyright. TDM refers to the use of automated techniques to analyze large datasets, which is essential for AI training. Under the new proposal, AI developers would be able to carry out TDM on works they have “lawful access” to, such as publicly available online content or works made available through subscription services. Additionally, the rights holders must not have explicitly reserved their rights in machine-readable formats, which would provide a clear mechanism for restricting such activities.

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This proposal mirrors the EU’s Digital Single Market Copyright Directive, which also includes a TDM exception. However, the U.K. government recognizes that relying solely on the EU’s framework has limitations. For example, the widely-used robots.txt standard, which allows rights holders to block automated access to their content, does not offer sufficient precision to fully meet the needs of content creators. The Government acknowledged that this method does not provide the detailed control that many rights holders desire, making a more standardized approach necessary.

Per a statement from the U.K. government, the proposal aims to strike a balance between protecting the rights of content creators and enabling the U.K. to remain at the forefront of AI innovation. By introducing these changes, the government hopes to create a more transparent and collaborative environment for the development of AI while ensuring that those who generate original content can fairly benefit from their work.

Source: Inside Global Tech