ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø

British creative industries have to highlight the risks they face from AI firms as the government proposes changing UK copyright law. A government consultation seeking views on the copyright issue closed on Tuesday, 25 February. 

Dr Dominic Lees, AI and film expert at the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø, submitted a response to the government’s consultation. The response, submitted on behalf of the , is summarised below in an expert comment from Dr Lees. To arrange interviews, contact the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk.  

Dr Dominic Lees said: “The government's preferred policy of changing UK copyright law to favour AI developers is wrong in principle and is not based on the future of the AI industry.

“The government’s intention to change the UK’s copyright law to benefit the AI industry is based on the rapidly outdating business model of Big Tech. Ministers have been persuaded that AI models can only be created by ‘scraping’ vast amounts of copyrighted data from the internet. This is not the case. 

“The Synthetic Media Research Network, created at the ºÚ¹Ï³ÔÁÏÍø, has heard from innovative AI developers whose business model is one of respect for creative copyright holders: they license datasets from the creators and pay remuneration. Government policy should be based on this future, not on the fading model of the AI giants. 

“We believe the government can much better support the AI industry by creating a centralised database of creative works that their makers have approved for licensing. This would give the UK's creative industry confidence that it maintains control of its Intellectual Property, as well as opportunities for remuneration. This initiative would be world-leading, it would make the need for internet 'scraping' by AI companies a thing of the past, and it would give the UK's AI industry a competitive advantage.

“International treaties binding on the UK explicitly prohibit imposing formalities for securing copyright and performers’ rights protection (Berne Convention, Article 5(2)). The government’s ‘preferred option’ imposes an opt-out or ‘rights reservation’ requirement - this may violate treaties to which the UK is a signatory.”