CoSTAR Network responds to Government consultation on AI and Copyright Law

CoSTAR Network responds to Government consultation on AI and Copyright Law
Members of the CoSTAR Network collaborated to submit a formal response to the UK Government’s Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence.
The Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Consultation, led by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), sought to gather views on proposals to deliver a programme to grow the AI sector in the UK, while providing some level of protection for creative copyright. The consultation set out a proposal which purported to: boost trust and transparency between the Creative Industries and AI sectors; enhance right holders’ control and remuneration for the use of works to train AI models; and ensure access to high-quality material to train leading AI models in the UK and drive innovation.
Central to the consultation was a proposal for an exception to copyright law for text and data mining (also known as ‘TDM’) with rights reservation, to “improve access to content by AI developers, whilst also allowing rights holders to reserve rights and prevent their content being used for AI training.” In practice, this proposal refers to an “opt-out” model, where creators must indicate if they do not want their IP to be used to train generative AI models.
The CoSTAR Network operates in the interests of both the Creative Industries and Digital and Technologies, and those working across both identified Government growth sectors identified in the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper. The Network’s response to this consultation is underpinned by a shared commitment to spur growth and collaboration across both of these sectors. The response sets out a proposal for investment in IP-making and, while rejecting the ‘opt-out’ model makes constructive recommendations which could enhance investment in both the Creative Industries and AI in the UK.
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Download the complementary AI and copyright literature review
To find out more about the CoSTAR Foresight Lab’s research on AI, see our latest blog here.