Brief
ICMP warns Australian government of AI copyright strong‑arming
The global music‑rights body says AI firms are pressuring Australia to loosen copyright rules while using local songs without compensation.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP) says AI companies have already trained models on the works of Australian artists such as Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave without paying royalties, and are now pressuring the Australian government to weaken copyright law.
ICMP, which represents major labels Sony, Warner and Universal as well as thousands of independent publishers worldwide, warned that among dozens of countries approached to water down copyright protections, Australia appears to be the only one considering such changes. Managing director John Phelan told Guardian Australia that AI firms are trying to "legitimise larceny" and are "strong‑arming" policymakers with threats of withholding investment.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese previously called it "theft" if artists lose control over the use of their work in AI training and said creators must be paid. Music, film, media and news organisations have voiced concerns that global tech firms are lobbying behind closed doors to erode Australian copyright law to facilitate AI training without compensation.
A parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence revisited the issue this week, describing the situation as a stalemate. In a joint letter to the prime minister, the inquiry’s Labor chair Jo Briskey and deputy chair Liberal senator Jonathon Duniam urged the government to "examine current copyright settings" while ensuring creators retain control and receive payment.
Independent senator David Pocock raised concerns that the committee’s draft letter had been edited by staff to align with the prime minister’s position, a claim Briskey denied. The ICMP argues that without changes to local copyright law, AI firms are withholding the deployment of frontier AI models in Australia, even though they are already training on copyrighted works in the United States without compensating creators.
Key facts
- ICMP says AI firms have trained on Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave songs without paying royalties. (theguardian.com)
- John Phelan described AI companies' tactics as "legitimise larceny" and "strong‑arming" Australian policymakers. (theguardian.com)
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called it "theft" if artists lose control over AI training of their work. (theguardian.com)
- Labor chair Jo Briskey and Liberal deputy chair Jonathon Duniam urged a review of copyright settings in a joint letter. (theguardian.com)
Sources
- [1] theguardian.com — originally reported as “Kylie Minogue songs already used to train AI as tech firms ‘strong-arm’ Australian government, music body warns”
