<\/p>\n
According to the Communications and Digital Committee in the House of Lords, the government \u201cshould instead focus on strengthening licensing, transparency and enforcement within the existing framework\u201d.<\/p>\n
The call, made in a report published by the Committee on Friday<\/a>, comes just days before the government is due to publish its own eagerly awaited report on AI copyright reform.<\/p>\n Read more on AI and copyright from Pinsent Masons<\/p>\n The government has a statutory duty, under the UK\u2019s Data (Use and Access) Act, to prepare and publish both an economic impact assessment in respect of potential AI-related copyright reform and a report regarding the options for reform and its proposals on various AI and copyright issues \u2013 including matters such as measures for controlling AI developers\u2019 access to and use of copyrighted works, transparency regarding such use, licensing, and enforcement \u2013 by 18 March 2026. However, according to a report by the Financial Times, also published on Friday<\/a>, the government intends to push a decision on reforms into 2027. <\/p>\n In a statement issued in response to a request from Out-Law to confirm the government\u2019s intentions, a government spokesperson did not directly address the Financial Times\u2019 reporting.<\/p>\n \u201cThe government wants a copyright regime that values and protects human creativity, can be trusted, and unlocks innovation,\u201d the spokesperson said. \u201cWe welcome the Committee’s contributions, and we will continue to engage closely with Parliament going forwards.”<\/p>\n Many content creators, such as publishers, authors and musicians, are concerned that AI developers are using their copyright works to train their AI models and inform the output those models produce. They want greater transparency over intended use of their content as well as more control over whether to enable it \u2013 and, if so, to be remunerated in return. They argue that existing copyright protections in UK law are being ignored by AI developers and want the government to intervene.<\/p>\n AI developers, however, reject assertions that their activities are copyright infringing. They want the government to loosen, not tighten, restrictions on access to data and point to the potential of AI to deliver improved economic, social, health and environmental outcomes as the prize on offer for supporting AI development.<\/p>\n The government opened a consultation on AI and copyright in December 2024<\/a> with a view to making a legislative intervention to balance the respective interests. However, its initial preference for reform, built around the idea of a rightsholder \u2018opt out\u2019, was favoured by just 3% of the more than 11,500 respondents to its consultation.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, senior ministers acknowledged that expressing an initial preference was a \u201cmistake\u201d and said the government was \u201chaving a genuine reset moment\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n