The UK government has published its report on copyright and Artificial Intelligence, along with an economic impact assessment required under the Data Use and Access Act 2025. The clearest shift is that a broad text and data mining exception, which would have allowed use of copyright works for training generative Artificial Intelligence unless rightsholders opted out, is no longer the government’s preferred approach. No replacement preference has been adopted yet, and the government is instead seeking more evidence before deciding on any wider reform.
The change follows strong opposition from creative industries and consultation responses that heavily favored stronger copyright protection. The report notes that 88% favoured strengthening copyright by requiring licences in all cases and only 3% supporting the government’s preferred option. For now, the status quo remains in place, with the UK retaining only a narrow text and data mining exception for non-commercial research purposes. The government also identified other possibilities for future consideration, including a focused exception for specific use cases such as science, research, or public interest activity, and a broader exception combined with a statutory licence or levy.
Transparency remains one of the few areas with broad agreement. There is currently no UK requirement for developers to disclose which works were used to train generative Artificial Intelligence models or how those works were obtained. The government said consultation responses showed broad support for greater transparency, while also revealing disagreement over how detailed disclosures should be and how they should be delivered. It plans to watch developments in other jurisdictions, including the EU and California, and work with industry and experts on best practice.
The government also declined to change copyright law for models trained overseas and then brought into the UK market. It warned that extending UK copyright law in that way could deter models from being offered in the UK and could create negative effects for downstream developers of Artificial Intelligence systems. The report says this question should be worked through by the English courts under current law, while policymakers monitor international developments. It also acknowledged that developments in other countries, particularly the EU and US, could have a significant impact on outcomes in the UK, with greater clarity expected in those jurisdictions in the next year or so.
On licensing, the government does not plan to intervene for now and will continue monitoring the market as it develops. It also maintained its preference to remove copyright protection for computer generated works unless stronger evidence emerges in support of those provisions. Separately, it plans to explore options for tackling unauthorized digital replicas, including deepfakes that mimic a person’s image or voice, and will consider whether a new personality right may be appropriate. The overall result is continued uncertainty, with major policy decisions deferred and no immediate legislative resolution for either rightsholders or Artificial Intelligence developers.
