Content Creators Express Alarm Over Plans To Weaken Copyright

A broad alliance of content creators including the News Media Association have written to the Business Secretary to express alarm over plans to weaken the UK’s copyright framework by introducing a text and data mining exception for any purpose. 

In a letter to Kwasi Kwarteng yesterday, content creators warned the proposed change would “fundamentally undermine” investment in the content and data on which AI technologies rely and the UK’s “gold standard” copyright framework.   

The letter is signed by Dan Guthrie, director general, Alliance for Intellectual Property, and co-signed by organizations representing photographers, music publishers, filmmakers, libraries, magazines, the Premier League, and the NMA representing news media.  

The alliance said: “We are writing to express our serious concern at the recent decision by your Department to weaken the UK’s copyright framework by introducing a text and data mining exception for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial. 

“The rationale behind this change was to support the development of AI-driven technologies.  We fully support this objective and our many world-leading industry sectors and businesses are already investing in, and using, AI whilst also providing access to our content and data via licensing for other AI developers.

“The proposed change, however, will fundamentally undermine investment in the content and data on which AI technologies rely and the UK’s ‘gold standard’ framework, which the government rightly champions. 

“The decision will also undermine existing business models across many UK sectors and has been made without either understanding the impact the policy will have on the multiple distinct markets which rely upon the creation and management of data as a central tenet of their business models, or explaining the market failure that exists to warrant such a major government intervention in a well-functioning market overall. 

“The precedent it sets for how intellectual property and copyright policy is developed is also concerning and we believe the policy, were it to be implemented, would not conform to the UK’s international IP treaty obligations.”

The full list of signatories is: 

  • Dan Guthrie, director general, Alliance for Intellectual Property 
  • Association of Photographers
  • Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society 
  • British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies 
  • British Association for Screen Entertainment 
  • British Phonographic Industry 
  • British Copyright Council
  • The Design and Artists Copyright Society 
  • Film Distributors Association 
  • Motion Picture Association 
  • Music Publishers Association 
  • News Media Association
  • NLA Media Access
  • Premier League
  • Professional Publishers Association 
  • PRS for Music
  • Publishers Association
  • Publishers Licensing Services 
  • UK Music