UK Abandons AI Copyright Opt-Out Plan

The UK government announced on March 18 that it is abandoning plans to introduce a broad copyright exception allowing artificial intelligence developers to train models on copyrighted materials through an opt-out system. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed the decision in a joint report from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and the Intellectual Property Office, stating that the government no longer has a preferred approach and will take additional time to develop policies that balance AI innovation with protections for creators.

The scrapped proposal, first outlined in December 2024, would have permitted AI firms to use works like music, writing, and video for training purposes unless rights holders explicitly opted out. Officials had argued that existing provisions under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 were hindering investment in the AI sector. However, the plan faced significant opposition from the creative industries, which contended it would undermine copyrights and enable unauthorized use of their work.

A government consultation last year drew responses from 11,500 stakeholders, with 88...