Plans for law reform to open up access to copyright material for training AI systems have been abandoned by the government in the face of trenchant opposition by rights holders. A long-awaited policy paper published today states that the government’s original proposal - to allow ‘data mining’ of copyright works unless the holder specifically opts out - ’is no longer the government’s preferred way forward’.
The report notes that a consultation carried out under the provisions of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 attracted 11,520 responses, many based on template letters reflecting the views of 'right holders and the creative industries'. In light of these 'strong views' the government will not introduce reforms to copyright law 'until we are confident that they will meet our objectives for the economy and UK citizens'.
Specialist lawyers said that such confidence could be long in the pipeline. Luke Galloway, senior associate at AI specialist firm EIP, said the white paper signals a 'slower, more deliberate approach' and that the policy process is being reset. 'Businesses using AI training data or automated content tools now face a period of uncertainty; however, the signals point to the fact that stricter controls are coming. Firms will need to factor consent, transparency, and data provenance into commercial plans.'
Although cautious overall on reform, the government’s report proposes that copyright protection be removed for wholly computer-generated works. 'We agree that copyright should incentivise and protect human creativity,' it states.
Other issues covered include whether developers should be required to disclosetraining data - 'We propose to continue monitoring the effect of transparency rules in other countries' - and to label AI-created content: 'We propose to work with industry to explore best practice'.
Alastair Shaw, counsel, at international firm Hogan Lovells, said: 'It’s clear that we can’t expect to see any concrete legislative reform whether on the fundamental copyright reform options outlined in the consultation or on related issues, such as transparency on content used for training, labelling or digital replicas until the end of 2026 at the earliest.'
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