UK Government Withdraws AI Copyright Opt-Out Proposal, Creators Call It Major Victory

Gate News Report, March 19 — The UK government announced it will abandon its previous AI copyright policy proposal. The proposal originally allowed AI companies to use copyrighted content for model training under a “choose to opt out” mechanism, but it faced opposition from various parties, including Elton John, Dua Lipa, and the UK House of Lords. UK Science and Technology Minister Liz Kendall stated that the government has listened to all opinions and decided not to proceed with the proposal. A report released at the same time showed that there is still no consensus on how to balance creators’ rights with AI industry development. Tom Kiehl, CEO of UK Music, called this a “major victory.” The UK government has not proposed an alternative plan and said it will not amend current copyright laws until it confirms that reforms can achieve economic and social goals. Tech industry groups are concerned that the lack of clear rules over the long term could weaken the UK’s position in global competition.