Jack RiverSome of Australia’s best and brightest musicians have travelled to Canberra this week, intent on putting the screws to the country’s policy makers as they push to strengthen copyright law in the face of an increasing AI presence.
The ongoing debate surrounding AI and the rights of creators has been continuing for some time now, with a report emerging last month that Australian musicians are among the millions whose music had been stolen for use in AI datasets.
While there have been calls for a mandatory licensing framework to ensure that creators do not lose out on the money which they are rightly owed, last October saw the Federal Government rule out a proposed text-and-data-mining exception in the Copyright Act following backlash from artists and music industry groups.
“Australian creatives are not only world-class, but they are also the lifeblood of Australian culture, and we must ensure the right legal protections are in place,” said Attorney General, Michelle Rowland.
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This week, following reports that the federal government has considered new plans to allow AI companies to train on Australian copyright material without permission, a number of artists descended upon Parliament House in Canberra to affirm their position that there should be no weakening of copyright law for AI companies in Australia.
Alongside representatives from organisations such as ARIA, APRA AMCOS, and more, musicians who fronted up in Canberra on Wednesday, July 1st included Mark Seymour, Paul Dempsey, Mahalia Barnes, Kristy Lee Peters (aka KLP), William Barton, Francois Tetaz, and many more.
“If AI companies want to use Australian content, they have to ask for permission first,” Jack River wrote on social media following her appearance in Canberra.
“The path forward here already exists. The Albanese Government must hold firm on Australia’s existing copyright framework and tell AI companies to give us a call,” she added. “Our creativity. Our culture. Our choice.”
“ The work that we've written, and that I've written and recorded, is essentially owned by me,” explained Seymour. “On that basis, the law states that it can't be used without us granting our permission first.”
“For my work to be used without my permission, it's theft,” echoed Dempsey. “That's basically what it amounts to.”
“ You want to use our work? Ask us,” added KLP. “You want to use our work? Credit us, and also pay us.”
APRA AMCOS also shared a message on social media after the event, thanking their members for attending, and expressing gratitude at Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke MP, for chatting to those in attendance.
“United together, we had one clear message: Without our works, there are no large language models,” they wrote. “There are no AI products.
“We want permission and payment for our creative content. The Copyright Act works and doesn’t need changing. We call on the Government to hold firm. If AI companies want to use your creative content, they need permission and to pay you.”
“Canberra Airport's never been so busy with people flying out from the US, putting pressure on the government to say there needs to be some trade-off in relation to data centres and investment,” said APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.
“Now's the time for the government to double down on its investment in the opportunity for the creative industries in AI,” he added. “The future's bright, we need to hold firm, we're open and ready to do business.”
In the recent report which spoke of a proposed weakening to Australian Copyright Law, Attorney General Rowland denied such plans were in place, stating, "We are committed to ensuring that Australia has a fit-for-purpose copyright framework that protects and supports Australia's creative and media industries while unlocking AI innovation."
Regardless of such denials, APRA AMCOS have also launched an open letter to the Australian Government, urging everyone to put their voices behind the push to keep artists’ copyright protections strong. To date, more than 11,000 signatures have been added.
“We want consent, and to be paid for our work through the legal system that exists to make that happen,” they write. “Not through a fund a tech company can shut down when it stops being useful to them.
“We are asking the Government to bring the platforms to the table for local licensing agreements and to hold the line until they come.”
