An open letter to Keir Starmer signed by numerous UK artists and creators – and organisations from across the UK creative industries – demanding to know why the Prime Minister isn\u2019t standing up for the human rights of British creators in the context of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the defining characteristics of your Government, which is more important now than ever, is its unqualified commitment to the rule of law, human rights principles, and international law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given this, we, the undersigned, are concerned that the law is being flouted en masse <\/em>by predominantly overseas tech companies to the fundamental detriment of the UK\u2019s \u00a3127 billion creative industries and in violation of creators\u2019 human rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Artificial Intelligence companies have ingested millions of copyright works without permission or payment, in total disregard for the UK\u2019s legal protections. Even Ministers have recognised that \u201cmuch content has already been used and subsumed by AI models, usually from other territories and under the current law<\/em>\u201d.1 <\/sup>This means UK citizens are experiencing consistent and deliberate breaches of their rights under human rights law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking forward, it may well be that the Government seeks to weaken copyright law, and we are closely watching the consultation process; you will know that many have suggested the consultation itself may be subject to legal challenge. However, your Government must answer the need to uphold the human rights of creators, not only in its future plans but right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be clear, the consultation process does not, in itself, constitute a response to the widespread human rights violations happening now, and Ministers have offered no timeline and no planned action with regard to those violations. Indeed, the Government has repeatedly acted to remove amendments which would have empowered copyright holders to exercise their rights during the passage of the Data (Use and Access) Bill. In doing so, they have actively stood in the way of creators\u2019 rights being exercised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What are those rights? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Article 15, paragraph 1 (c) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) of 1966 states: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[e]veryone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is author\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a basic, universal entitlement; it does not need to be asserted or claimed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Article 15 echoes the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which dates back to 1886, has been updated periodically and is one of the most widely adopted international conventions. The Berne Convention proclaims its signatories\u2019: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cdesire to protect, in as effective and uniform a manner as possible, the rights of authors in their literary and artistic works\u201d<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It lays down minimal, internationally-agreed standards for copyright protection. The protection of copyright material is automatic and applies from the moment a work is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cfixed in some material form\u201d<\/em>: see Article 2(2). By Article 5(2) \u201c[t]he enjoyment and the exercise of these rights shall not be subject to any formality…\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950 (ECHR), made enforceable here in the UK through the Human Rights Act 1998. Article 1 of Protocol 1 assures everyone\u2019s: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cpeaceful enjoyment of\u2026 possessions. No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law.2<\/sup>\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Where such rights are interfered with by the state, either directly or because of the way it frames, enforces or fails to enforce the law, there must be a meaningful compensation system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ministers\u2019 deliberate choice to remove the amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill mark a clear breach of UK citizens\u2019 human rights \u201cto the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is author\u201d<\/em>. The Government\u2019s formal position has exhibited a shocking indifference to mass theft, and a complete unwillingness to enforce the existing law or uphold the human rights stipulated by the ICESCR, the Berne Convention and the ECHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The first duty of any government is to protect its citizens – not to promote corporate interests, particularly where they are primarily based abroad. The failure to do so \u2013 apparently driven largely by conflicted advisors, and inadequate understanding of the matter by Ministers \u2013 risks yet more breaches of international conventions and of the human rights \u2018brought home\u2019 by the Human Rights Act 1998 on a greater scale than is already occurring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, we ask you to set out the Government’s justification for actively ignoring the rights of UK copyright holders set out above since the general election. We also ask you to explain the reasoning behind Ministers’ statements that appear to undermine those rights, and the rationale for standing in the way of the transparency demanded by rights holders that would allow their rights to be asserted, given the clear and consistent breaches of their rights that continues to take place. For clarity, we are not asking for an explanation of the decision to consult on AI and copyright, or the ‘prefered option’, but rather ask for an explanation of the Government’s stated position that no steps will be taken to make the existing law enforceable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We, the undersigned, believe that the UK Government has so far failed to account for international and UK human rights law regarding the enforcement of UK copyright law, and we ask for a timely response from the Government whilst we consider our further options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Creative Organisations\u00a0<\/strong> Creatives\u00a0<\/strong>Yours sincerely, <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
ACID\u00a0
Association of Authors’ Agents\u00a0
Association of Illustrators\u00a0\u00a0
Association of Photographers\u00a0
Association of University Presses\u00a0\u00a0
Barbara Hayes, Chief Executive, Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society BPI\u00a0
British Copyright Council\u00a0
CEO, Bridget Shine, Independent Publishers Guild\u00a0\u00a0
Christian Zimmermann, CEO, DACS\u00a0
Claire Walker & Hannah Essex, Co-Chief Executives, Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre David Martin, CEO, Featured Artists Coalition\u00a0
Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, Independent Society of Musicians & Creators’ Rights\u00a0 Alliance Chair\u00a0
DMG Media\u00a0
Ed Newton-Rex, CEO, Fairly Trained\u00a0
InterSpace Distribution
Joanna Prior, CEO, Pan Macmillan\u00a0
Justine Roberts, founder and chief executive, Mumsnet\u00a0
LifeScore\u00a0
Mark Getty, co-founder and Chairman, Getty Images\u00a0
Music Publishers Association\u00a0
National Union of Journalists\u00a0
News Media Association\u00a0
PICSEL\u00a0
PPL\u00a0
PRS\u00a0
Publishing Scotland\u00a0
Richard Reeves, Managing Director, Association of Online Publishers\u00a0
Society of Editors\u00a0
Telegraph Media Group\u00a0
The Society of Artists\u2019 Agents\u00a0
Tom Kiehl Chief Executive, UK Music\u00a0
Tom West, Chief Executive, Publishers’ Licensing Services\u00a0
ToneGrid
Voice Swap AI\u00a0
Writers’ Guild of Great Britain\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam Cork\u00a0
Alecky Blythe\u00a0
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber\u00a0
Annie Lennox\u00a0
Antonia Fraser\u00a0
Beabadoobee\u00a0
Becky Hill\u00a0
Ben Power
Bobby Gillespie\u00a0\u00a0
Caleb Azumah Nelson
Danny Brocklehurst
David Furnish\u00a0
Don Black\u00a0\u00a0
Elton John\u00a0
Eric Clapton\u00a0
Eric Okechukwu
Gary Barlow\u00a0
Ian Rickson\u00a0
Iqbal Khan\u00a0
Jessie Ware\u00a0
Joe Murphy\u00a0
Joe Robertson\u00a0
Johnny Flynn\u00a0
Kate Bush\u00a0\u00a0
Kwame Kwei-Armah Lee Hall\u00a0
Sir Mick Jagger\u00a0
Moira Buffini\u00a0
Nectar Woode\u00a0
Neil Tennant\u00a0
Nicholas Hytner\u00a0
Oliver Sim\u00a0
Patrick Marber\u00a0
Sir Paul McCartney Rachel Fuller\u00a0
Richard Bean\u00a0
Richard Eyre\u00a0
Robbie Williams\u00a0
Robert Smith\u00a0\u00a0
Sam Smith\u00a0
Sarah Phelps\u00a0
Skin\u00a0
Sting\u00a0
Tom Grennan\u00a0\u00a0
Tom Stoppard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An open letter to Keir Starmer signed by numerous UK artists and creators – and organisations from across…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3840,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-industry-trends","8":"cs-entry","9":"cs-video-wrap"},"yoast_head":"\n