CoSTAR Network response to the Copyright and AI consultation
This policy briefing sets out the CoSTAR Network’s joint response to the UK Government’s Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Consultation (2025), outlining the Network’s approach and recommendations.
Posted: 12 March 2025"If the UK gets its approach to AI and copyright right, we could become a world leader in innovative and creative‑led approaches to technology innovation – incentivising inward investment into UK creative content and fostering collaboration to grow small UK AI players."
- An effective AI and copyright framework must balance technological innovation with clear protection and reward for human creativity. A broad “opt-out” text and data mining exception risks undermining long-term IP production and growth.
- Creative Industries IP is a strategic national asset in the context of AI. Policy should create meaningful incentives for creators and companies to license content into AI development through transparent licensing, royalty and standardisation models.
- Creative technology represents a leadership opportunity for the UK. By aligning AI policy with the UK’s strengths in creative content and digital innovation, there is scope to attract inward investment, support UK AI scale-ups and embed AI innovation within existing fiscal and industrial levers.
- Adoption and diffusion of AI across the Creative Industries will depend on systems that are robust and trusted – with clear routes for rights holders to identify, consent to and benefit from the use of their works.
To become a competitive global AI maker, the UK needs to maintain its global leadership as an IP maker
- Balancing innovation prioritisation and recognising the role of the Creative Industries in driving innovation in AI.
- Boost innovation opportunity and partnerships across the UK, via the proposed AI Growth Zones, alongside innovation challenge opportunities to develop new rights management and royalty systems.
- Adoption and diffusion are critical, developing mechanisms to boost AI adoption across the Creative Industries through robust and trusted systems that reward rights holders and AI developers alike.
The UK should establish a leadership ambition in creative technology, underpinned by creative-led, equitable and sustainable technology innovation that incentivises creators and technologists alike
- International competitiveness, trade and inward investment can be stimulated by harnessing the UK’s longstanding strengths across both the Creative Industries and Digital and Technologies.
- Recognising technological convergence will enable AI innovation in action, amongst an array of tools and application areas.