{"id":922,"date":"2025-02-27T16:27:18","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T16:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/synthetic-media-research-network\/?p=922"},"modified":"2025-02-27T16:54:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T16:54:36","slug":"uk-ai-copyright-policy-is-wrong-and-based-on-fading-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/synthetic-media-research-network\/uk-ai-copyright-policy-is-wrong-and-based-on-fading-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018UK AI copyright policy is wrong and based on fading ideas\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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British creative industries have joined forces<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Dr Dominic Lees, AI and film expert at the University of Reading, submitted a response to the government\u2019s consultation. The response, submitted on behalf of the Synthetic Media Research Network<\/a>, is summarised below in an expert comment from Dr Lees. To arrange interviews, contact the University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 5757 or pressoffice@reading.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dr Dominic Lees said: \u201cThe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s intention to change the UK\u2019s 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 \u2018scraping\u2019 vast amounts of copyrighted data from the internet. This is not the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Synthetic Media Research Network, created at the University of Reading, 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternational treaties binding on the UK explicitly prohibit imposing formalities for securing copyright and performers\u2019 rights protection (Berne Convention, Article 5(2)). The government\u2019s \u2018preferred option\u2019 imposes an opt-out or \u2018rights reservation\u2019 requirement – this may violate treaties to which the UK is a signatory.\u201d<\/p>\n

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