Nine accuses AI firms of ‘illegal scraping’ of journalism” after Labor rules out copyright law exemption for tech giants
“By supporting the creator’s right to control access, terms of use and payment, it reinforces that our copyright law seeks to deliver effective market outcomes,” he said.
“The announcement secures a sustainable and thriving future for Australia’s culture, news media and creative sectors and ensures that Australian stories will continue to resonate strongly at home and around the world, which is vital for a robust democracy,” Miller said.
Rowland, who rejected the exemption on Monday, said: “AI presents significant opportunities for Australia and our economy. But it’s important that Australian creators also take advantage of these opportunities.”
“Australian creators are not only world-class, they are the lifeblood of Australian culture and we must ensure the right legal protections are in place,” he said.
Rowland emphasized that “there are no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to artificial intelligence” and called for the tech and creative sectors to come together to “find sensible and workable solutions” to support innovation while compensating creators.
The government will convene a copyright and AI reference group over the next two days to discuss how it can promote fair and legal ways for copyrighted material to be used in AI; Increase certainty about how copyright law applies to material created through AI; and creating ways to make lower-value copyright infringement matters less costly to enforce through a new small claims forum.
The heads of Australia’s largest media companies have been vocal in their efforts to lobby the government against the exemption.
Scott Farquhar, co-founder of Atlassian and chairman of the Australian Technology Council, has pushed for AI companies to be allowed to mine data more freely.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
The backlash to the proposal comes after several tech figures, including Atlassian co-founder and Australian Technology Council chief executive Scott Farquhar, backed the Productivity Commission’s proposal and called for legal reforms to allow AI companies to mine data more freely.
A Tech Council spokesperson said on Monday: “TCA looks forward to joining the reference group in the coming days to help develop a framework that we hope will provide rigor for AI education as well as for artists and creators.”
Speaking to ABC Radio on Monday morning, Rowland defended the months it has taken to reassure creators after the Productivity Commission recommended that AI mining be exempt from copyright rules.
“We make it clear that we are not going to be fun.” [an] … exception,” he said.
“This is the basis of their right as people who produce work to ensure that they receive fair wages for it and that there are fair terms of use.”
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