18 organisations signed a joint statement urging the government to “hold the line”
Eighteen media organisations and industry bodies have issued a joint statement pushing back against the relaxation of the federal government’s stance on AI, reported The Australian.
News Corp, Nine, the ABC, the Australian Recording Industry Association and the Australian Writers Guild were among the organisations that signed the statement, which urged the government to stay true to its commitment to safeguard copyright legislation. The organisations signed the statement last Friday 22 May.
“Reports this week that government has indicated willingness to reopen copyright law as part of negotiations with AI companies seeking major investment commitments in Australia are deeply concerning”, the organisations wrote in a snippet of the statement published by The Australian. “Organisations representing Australia’s creative and content industries across the music, screen, literature, publishing, visual arts and news media sectors are sending a clear message to the Australian government: hold the line”.
The ABC claimed that the government’s strategy was revealed in Department of Industry briefing notes prior to a February meeting between Andrew Charlton, assistant minister for science, technology and the digital economy, and Dario Amodei, CEO of AI giant Anthropic, in India. The notes, which the ABC reportedly secured via a freedom of information request this year, showed that one demand the federal government made of Anthropic was that it “commit to working with Australia on frontier AI safety and security”, according to a statement published by The Australian.
However, the notes also indicated that the government sought to “understand Anthropic’s issues with Australia’s copyright regime, how it affects their business and what alternatives have been explored”, per a statement published by The Australian. Proponents of AI’s entry into the market claimed that the current regime was limiting industry development in the country.
The signatories of the joint statement said Australia’s current copyright laws did not require modification.
“Australia’s decision last October to reject a copyright exception for artificial intelligence platforms was decisive and world-leading…it sent a clear signal: Australia will not prioritise AI companies at the expense of its creative and cultural sector”, the organisations wrote in a snippet of the statement published by The Australian.
The signatories added that licencing frameworks for AI and creative content were “not theoretical”.
“Deals have already been brokered between AI platforms and rights holders, including Australian rightsholders, across music, news and other creative sectors, demonstrating the model is workable and the value is real”, the organisations wrote in a snippet of the statement published by The Australian. “The obligation now falls on those same platforms to extend that framework to all rights holders in every market in which they operate, including Australia”.
The signatories said they were prepared to ink licencing deals with AI companies, but not “a copyright carve-out”, per a statement published by The Australian.
