Latest news with #CreativeRightsinAICoalition
Tatler Asia
09-05-2025
- Business
- Tatler Asia
The AI book scraping issue explained
The revelations have sparked widespread outrage among authors and copyright advocates. The Society of Authors called Meta's actions 'appalling', with chief executive Ana Ganley saying: 'Rather than ask permission and pay for these copyright-protected materials, AI companies are knowingly choosing to steal them in the race to dominate the market. This is shocking behaviour by big tech that is currently being enabled by governments who are not intervening to strengthen and uphold current copyright protections. As part of the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, the SoA has been at the heart of the fight and is continuing to lobby against these unlawful and exploitative activities.' Meta's statement In response, Meta filed a motion to dismiss the case, stating: 'At the crux of this case is an issue of extraordinary importance to the future of generative AI development in the United States: whether Meta's use of publicly available datasets to train its open-source large language models constitutes fair use under U.S. copyright law.' The company maintains that training AI with data freely available online falls under fair use—an argument that may have far-reaching consequences for the future of AI development. What happens next? As Kadrey vs. Meta unfolds in the United States, other copyright infringement lawsuits have also been filed against Meta. Meanwhile, some authors are exploring ways to remove their work from pirate libraries like LibGen and Z-Library. With mounting legal pressure and global scrutiny, the outcome of this case could set a precedent for how AI companies source their training data—and whether creators will finally get a say in how their work is used.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
1,000 musicians release a silent album in protest of U.K.'s proposed AI copyright law changes
A group of musicians is hoping the sound of their collective silence speaks volumes to lawmakers in the U.K. More than 1,000 artists — including Kate Bush, Imogen Heap, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens and Hans Zimmer — released a silent album titled "Is This What We Want?' on Tuesday in response to the U.K. government's proposed changes to a copyright law. They argue that changes to the law, proposed late last year, would "allow artificial intelligence companies to build their products using other people's copyrighted work — music, artworks, text, and more" without a license, according to a website for the album. 'The musicians on this album came together to protest this.' The album's track list spells out a sentence: 'The British Government Must Not Legalize Music Theft To Benefit AI Companies.' 'It's an album of recordings of empty studios & performance spaces, representing the effect the govt's plans would have on musicians' livelihoods,' Ed Newton-Rex, a composer who was among those who organized the album, wrote in a post on X. The album is the latest action from creatives over growing concerns that AI could encroach on their works. While it focuses on British law, concerns over AI's impact on artists' livelihood have been widespread. Laws regulating AI are sparse, and because generative AI, which can create media from songs to images, is so accessible, many creatives have raised ethical and legal questions over tech companies training their programs on artists' works. The album's release came on the closing day of the British government's public consultation on changing the copyright laws. In December, the left-leaning Labour Party announced that it would begin consulting on AI and shifting copyright laws with the intent of becoming a world leader in AI technology. As it is currently proposed, the law would allow artists to opt-out of being used for AI learning. On Tuesday, newspapers in the U.K. ran identical messages titled 'Make it fair,' which called for protecting creative industries from AI. Some shared side-by-sides of the British newspaper covers on X. In a statement to The Associated Press, the British government said it was 'consulting on a new approach that protects the interests of both AI developers and right holders and delivers a solution which allows both to thrive.' It added that 'no decisions have been taken.' There have been efforts to combat the legislative changes prior to the album's release, including from a group called the Creative Rights in AI Coalition. The group says companies should seek permission first to train AI on artists' works. This would put the responsibility on the companies seeking to use AI rather than on artists having to opt out. 'Protecting copyright and building a dynamic licensing market for the use of creative content in building generative AI (GAI) isn't just a question of fairness: it's the only way that both sectors will flourish and grow,' the coalition wrote on its website. In a letter to the Times published Tuesday, 34 artists, including some featured on the album, called for "protecting U.K.'s creative copyright against AI." The new proposal is "wholly unnecessary and counterproductive," and jeopardizes not only the U.K.'s international position as "a beacon of creativity but also the resulting jobs, economic contribution and soft power — and especially harming new and young artists who represent our nation's future," the artists wrote. Signees include Bush, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Sting. Bush, who is known for hit songs like 'Running Up That Hill,' shared a music video for the album on her website. The 1-minute-and-25-second video features footage of empty recording studios, with the names of the album's tracks in a bold white font above the video. "The U.K. is full of pioneering, highly creative and imaginative artists.' Bush wrote on her website. 'The government's willingness to agree to these copyright changes shows how much our work is undervalued and that there is no protection for one of this country's most important assets: music. Each track on this album features a deserted recording studio. Doesn't that silence say it all?' She added that she's 'very happy to have contributed a track to this project and to join the protest' and asked for the public's support in protectingthe music makers and our heartfelt work." 'In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?' This article was originally published on
NBC News
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
1,000 musicians release a silent album in protest of U.K.'s proposed AI copyright law changes
A group of musicians is hoping the sound of their collective silence speaks volumes to lawmakers in the U.K. More than 1,000 artists — including Kate Bush, Imogen Heap, Annie Lennox, Cat Stevens and Hans Zimmer — released a silent album titled "Is This What We Want?' on Tuesday in response to the U.K. government's proposed changes to a copyright law. They argue that changes to the law, proposed late last year, would "allow artificial intelligence companies to build their products using other people's copyrighted work — music, artworks, text, and more" without a license, according to a website for the album. 'The musicians on this album came together to protest this.' The album 's track list spells out a sentence: 'The British Government Must Not Legalize Music Theft To Benefit AI Companies.' 'It's an album of recordings of empty studios & performance spaces, representing the effect the govt's plans would have on musicians' livelihoods,' Ed Newton-Rex, a composer who was among those who organized the album, wrote in a post on X. The album is the latest action from creatives over growing concerns that AI could encroach on their works. While it focuses on British law, concerns over AI's impact on artists' livelihood have been widespread. Laws regulating AI are sparse, and because generative AI, which can create media from songs to images, is so accessible, many creatives have raised ethical and legal questions over tech companies training their programs on artists' works. The album's release came on the closing day of the British government's public consultation on changing the copyright laws. In December, the left-leaning Labour Party announced that it would begin consulting on AI and shifting copyright laws with the intent of becoming a world leader in AI technology. As it is currently proposed, the law would allow artists to opt-out of being used for AI learning. On Tuesday, newspapers in the U.K. ran identical messages titled 'Make it fair,' which called for protecting creative industries from AI. Some shared side-by-sides of the British newspaper covers on X. In a statement to The Associated Press, the British government said it was 'consulting on a new approach that protects the interests of both AI developers and right holders and delivers a solution which allows both to thrive.' It added that 'no decisions have been taken.' There have been efforts to combat the legislative changes prior to the album's release, including from a group called the Creative Rights in AI Coalition. The group says companies should seek permission first to train AI on artists' works. This would put the responsibility on the companies seeking to use AI rather than on artists having to opt out. 'Protecting copyright and building a dynamic licensing market for the use of creative content in building generative AI (GAI) isn't just a question of fairness: it's the only way that both sectors will flourish and grow,' the coalition wrote on its website. In a letter to the Times published Tuesday, 34 artists, including some featured on the album, called for "protecting U.K.'s creative copyright against AI." The new proposal is "wholly unnecessary and counterproductive," and jeopardizes not only the U.K.'s international position as "a beacon of creativity but also the resulting jobs, economic contribution and soft power — and especially harming new and young artists who represent our nation's future," the artists wrote. Signees include Bush, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Elton John and Sting. Bush, who is known for hit songs like 'Running Up That Hill,' shared a music video for the album on her website. The 1-minute-and-25-second video features footage of empty recording studios, with the names of the album's tracks in a bold white font above the video. "The U.K. is full of pioneering, highly creative and imaginative artists.' Bush wrote on her website. 'The government's willingness to agree to these copyright changes shows how much our work is undervalued and that there is no protection for one of this country's most important assets: music. Each track on this album features a deserted recording studio. Doesn't that silence say it all?' She added that she's 'very happy to have contributed a track to this project and to join the protest' and asked for the public's support in protecting ' the music makers and our heartfelt work." 'In the music of the future, will our voices go unheard?'
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Labour's AI plans will pull the rug from under a multi-billion pound industry
The government's consultation on changing the UK's gold standard copyright laws to make it easier for AI companies to use British creative content – our books, photographs, music, journalism, films, and more – without permission or payment has now ended. The Creative Rights in AI Coalition has been set up to collectively call for the government to 'make it fair' and protect copyright, by providing control for creators across the UK's vibrant creative industries in how their content is used and transparency from the AI companies using it. This is the only way to drive long term growth across the UK for both the creative and tech sectors. The UK's unique status as the home of world-leading creative and tech sectors puts us in pole position to lead the way globally in the age of AI. However, advances in generative AI are entirely reliant on the use of high-quality, human-created creative works as training material. It is the essential fuel of the AI products we see and use today. There is a huge potential market for licensing the content produced by the UK's creators that our country could take the lead in. But this will only happen if copyright holders have proper control of their content and fair payment for its use. Yet the government's consultation proposes to weaken copyright law and stymie the development of this market, sweeping the rug from under the creative industries that generate £126 billion for the UK economy and build our soft power abroad. Without fair payment, high-quality creative content will become harder to make and this will also see generative AI innovation stall too, going against the government's own ambitions for growth in this sector. Much has been said by the government about the 'uncertainty' surrounding UK copyright law, but the existing law is clear: text and data mining – the method used to train generative AI models – is not allowed for commercial purposes without a licence. The only uncertainty is around which works have already been used as training material without a license. We at the Creative Rights in AI Coalition urge the government to enforce existing copyright law with meaningful transparency. This approach will help drive a dynamic and voluntary commercial licensing market by preserving and upholding our copyright framework giving creatives exclusive control on how their work is used. Transparency will enable those in the creative industries to hold AI firms accountable, incentivising tech firms to comply with the law and fostering a mutually beneficial partnership. These solutions are clearly possible. MPs are currently debating measures introduced by Baroness Kidron to the Data Bill. These include robust transparency measures to make existing copyright law enforceable, rather than such transparency being offered as a 'trade-off' for the removal of copyright protections the government proposes. Full control for copyright holders – with robust protections for copyright and greater transparency – is the only route which will allow us to continue producing the creative works that generative AI firms could then access through licensing. This would make a fair ecosystem which rewards and incentivises creativity whilst supporting AI innovation. This is not only essential for the growth of the UK's world-leading creative sector, but also the next generation of British creative talent. We invite the government and the tech sector to partner with us in shaping a future that prioritises, safeguards, and enhances the role of human creativity in AI. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
25-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Labour's AI plans will pull the rug from under a multi-billion pound industry
The government's consultation on changing the UK's gold standard copyright laws to make it easier for AI companies to use British creative content – our books, photographs, music, journalism, films, and more – without permission or payment has now ended. The Creative Rights in AI Coalition has been set up to collectively call for the government to 'make it fair' and protect copyright, by providing control for creators across the UK's vibrant creative industries in how their content is used and transparency from the AI companies using it. This is the only way to drive long term growth across the UK for both the creative and tech sectors. The UK's unique status as the home of world-leading creative and tech sectors puts us in pole position to lead the way globally in the age of AI. However, advances in generative AI are entirely reliant on the use of high-quality, human-created creative works as training material. It is the essential fuel of the AI products we see and use today. There is a huge potential market for licensing the content produced by the UK's creators that our country could take the lead in. But this will only happen if copyright holders have proper control of their content and fair payment for its use. Yet the government's consultation proposes to weaken copyright law and stymie the development of this market, sweeping the rug from under the creative industries that generate £126 billion for the UK economy and build our soft power abroad. Without fair payment, high-quality creative content will become harder to make and this will also see generative AI innovation stall too, going against the government's own ambitions for growth in this sector. Much has been said by the government about the 'uncertainty' surrounding UK copyright law, but the existing law is clear: text and data mining – the method used to train generative AI models – is not allowed for commercial purposes without a licence. The only uncertainty is around which works have already been used as training material without a license. We at the Creative Rights in AI Coalition urge the government to enforce existing copyright law with meaningful transparency. This approach will help drive a dynamic and voluntary commercial licensing market by preserving and upholding our copyright framework giving creatives exclusive control on how their work is used. Transparency will enable those in the creative industries to hold AI firms accountable, incentivising tech firms to comply with the law and fostering a mutually beneficial partnership. These solutions are clearly possible. MPs are currently debating measures introduced by Baroness Kidron to the Data Bill. These include robust transparency measures to make existing copyright law enforceable, rather than such transparency being offered as a 'trade-off' for the removal of copyright protections the government proposes. Full control for copyright holders – with robust protections for copyright and greater transparency – is the only route which will allow us to continue producing the creative works that generative AI firms could then access through licensing. This would make a fair ecosystem which rewards and incentivises creativity whilst supporting AI innovation. This is not only essential for the growth of the UK's world-leading creative sector, but also the next generation of British creative talent. We invite the government and the tech sector to partner with us in shaping a future that prioritises, safeguards, and enhances the role of human creativity in AI.
