MPs agree! Copyright law should not be downgraded in favour of tech giants

MPs from across the political spectrum stood firmly with the creative industries yesterday in a well attended Westminster Hall debate on the impact of artificial intelligence on intellectual property, secured by James Frith MP.

Opening the debate, Frith said: “Creative industries are not seeking to change the rules of the game, only that their rights are upheld...Copyright is not an obstacle, it's an infrastructure; a cornerstone of the British economy."

Parliamentarians were clear that copyright should not be downgraded in favour of tech platforms and should instead by strengthened to ensure the regime is robust and enforceable as AI technology develops. Creators must have full "granular, enforceable, practical" transparency over how their content is used to train Large Language Models and the Data (Use and Access) Bill provides a vehicle to achieve this, MPs said.

The creative industries are an economic powerhouse, Mr Frith noted, contributing immeasurably to Britain's cultural enrichment. His comments were echoed by many of the debate's participants. MPs added that this issue had galvanised public support and generated significant interest with their constituents.

Elsewhere, the European Union has fined Apple and Facebook owner Meta a total of €700 million for breaching antitrust rules in the latest judgment against the platforms. In the UK, it is essential that the Competition and Markets Authority proceeds with its work to level the playing field in the digital markets as quickly as possible, using the tools in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.

Source: News Media Association, Journalism Matters