Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) have confirmed their agreement to support the development of a new collective licence by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) for the use of text in generative AI applications. The initiative marks the first effort in the UK to create a licensing framework specifically addressing text use in AI training, fine-tuning, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
The proposed licence will provide rightsholders—particularly those without the capacity for direct negotiation with AI developers—with a mechanism to receive remuneration for the use of their works in generative AI systems. It is also intended to safeguard copyright while offering AI developers a legal, cost-effective route to access and utilise content.
This development coincides with the UK government’s ongoing review of copyright and AI, which includes a controversial proposal for a text and data mining exception that has faced significant opposition from content rightsholders. The CLA’s initiative builds on existing licensing frameworks for commercial text and data mining and workplace applications of generative AI, including a separate licence scheduled to launch on 1 May 2025.
PLS and ALCS will collaborate with CLA to define the terms of the new generative AI licence, with a focus on transparency, remuneration, and legal clarity. The licence is expected to be available to AI developers in the third quarter of 2025.
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