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PLS Joins Creative Rights in AI Coalition

Today (Monday 16 December), Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) has joined the Creative Rights in AI Coalition.

The Coalition is a cross-creative industry group formed to help coordinate and raise awareness of the potential weakening of copyright for the use of protected works in AI. The government is expected to publish a consultation on the issue shortly. In a statement released by the Coalition, it calls on the government to spur growth in the creative and tech sectors by protecting copyright. 

In addition to PLS, all four of our trade association members have joined the Coalition (the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, Independent Publishers Guild, Professional Publishers Association, and Publishers Association) as well as our two licensing partners, the Copyright Licensing Agency and NLA Media Access. The Coalition’s membership includes publishers, creator organisations, music businesses, specialist interest publications, unions, and photographers. 

PLS along with Coalition members the Publishers Association, the Independent Publishers Guild, the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, Association of Authors’ Agents, and the Society of Authors released a joint statement marking the launch of the Coalition.  

“This is a critically important time for creators and rights holders. The threat to the creative community from the use of copyright-protected content in the training of LLMs without transparency, permission and fair compensation is significant. The Creative Industries in the UK earn over £100 billion annually. Protecting copyright and building a dynamic licensing market that takes into account the creative as well as tech sectors must be a priority as a path to success and growth. 

The government must ensure the strength of the UK’s copyright regime is maintained so the creative industries can continue to thrive. We are extremely pleased to support the launch of the Creative Rights in AI Coalition on behalf of all the creators and rights holders our members represent and publish and indeed would encourage everyone in our industry to support this vital campaign.” 

Recent media speculation suggests that the government consultation on AI and copyright is imminent, with the government likely to ask for views on an EU-style ‘rights reservation’ copyright exception for text and data mining as well as on transparency regulation of AI models and image rights.  

Coalition website: https://www.creativerightsinai.co.uk/ 

PLS Chief Executive Tom West said: 

“As champions of copyright, PLS is a proud member of an important and positive campaign. The incredible global success of the UK’s creative industries, and the copyright framework that underpins it, must not be taken for granted or weakened. I’m delighted that organisations from across the UK’s creative industries have united to form the Coalition and I’m sure it will play an important role in our efforts to protect copyright.  

PLS acknowledges the exciting potential that AI offers but we have always been clear that a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership, built upon voluntary and flexible licensing solutions, provides the best path to the future growth and success we wish to see in both the creative industries and AI sectors.”