Campaigning for creators’ rights.
The UK’s creative industries have today launched a bold campaign to highlight how their content is at risk of being given away for free to AI firms as the government proposes weakening copyright law.
The ‘Make it Fair’ campaign was developed to raise awareness among the British public about
the existential threat posed to the creative industries from generative AI models, many of which
scrape creative content from the internet without permission, acknowledgement, and critically,
without payment. The Government Consultation on Copyright and AI closes today (25 February) .
The value of human creativity must sit at the forefront of policymaking. Technology is accelerating and being implemented at pace. Both the AI industry and the creative industries can thrive if we find ways to work together, respecting existing law. Equitable economic growth requires a consideration of issues around IP, ethics, accountability, and economics for creative human endeavour.
In the consultation response made on behalf of CRA members who represent over 500,000 creators we have urged the Government not to risk the livelihoods of our world-leading creative industries, but to find ways of respecting the legal rights of creators, safety and sustainability firmly in mind.
The CRA has called for three key measures to protect creators and performers:
1. Transparency measures
There is a significant challenge with copyright-protected works being unlawfully used to train AI systems both in the UK and in other jurisdictions, and all future changes must demonstrate transparency on how this data was sourced. Since AI systems can't "unlearn" copyright-protected content, compensation for infringements must consider the irreparable nature of this misuse.
2. Enforcement of copyright laws
The Government must work internationally to protect creators' economic and moral rights, strengthening our world leading existing copyright laws. Clearer, more accessible routes for redress, such as a regulatory body with the ability to impose sanctions, are needed to protect rightsholders, particularly those without the financial means for costly legal action
3. Remuneration through licensing
The Creators’ Rights Alliance emphasises the vital importance of transparency measures concerning AI systems and copyright licensing. There are growing concerns from creators that the proposals benefit AI developers more than rightsholders, with key issues remaining around how content has been accessed and infringed.
We strongly believe that any new system should be opt-in and respect rightsholders' choice to refuse to license their works, should they not want it to be used to train AI.
The CRA stands behind today’s Make It Fair campaign, which calls on government to protect human creativity in the age of generative AI
Government must ensure that creators’ and performers control their work:
Fair Compensation: creators should be paid for their work , on time and at a fair and equitable rate.
Legal Protections: Generative AI must respect copyright laws and creators' rights, and compensates for their usage in all cases.
Inclusion: we need an inclusive creative economy where all creators, regardless of background, can thrive
Who we are.
The Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA) is a coalition that exists to promote, protect and further the interests of creators through policy, advocacy and campaigning work. We speak on behalf of 23 major creator led groups, trade associations, and unions, between them representing over 500,000 creator members and over several million individuals working as creators in the UK’s creative industries – from authors, artists, photographers and illustrators to translators, performers, musicians and journalists – on policy issues as diverse as fairer contract terms and working conditions to copyright and intellectual property.
“It’s vital that the makers of every kind of art should be treated fairly when it comes to contracts and rights and terms of engagement.”
“The CRA works to defend and promote the interests of individual creators so they have a chance to work and flourish and win a fair reward for their labour.”
- Sir Philip Pullman