The European Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ECCD) welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of the report on ‘Copyright and Generative Artificial Intelligence – Opportunities and Challenges’, tabled by MEP Axel Voss. Adopted by a very large majority – 460 votes in favour out of 619 voters – this major resolution marks a decisive political milestone: the European Union confirms that innovation cannot flourish at the expense of creators and rights holders, and that copyright and intellectual property remain an essential pillar of the European cultural ecosystem.
To enhance transparency, the report calls for the full disclosure of copyright-protected works used to train AI models. It also reiterates that providing information on the use of a work does not constitute a breach of trade secrets. In the absence of full transparency, the text provides for the application of a rebuttable presumption of use of protected works, in line with the draft law currently being examined by the French Senate.
The Parliament also calls on the Commission to review the existing Code of Practice and transparency model, which are now considered insufficient to protect creators’ rights.
On the issue of remuneration, the Parliament invites the European Commission to explore mechanisms to encourage the granting of licences and to ensure fair remuneration for creators and rights holders, directly linked to the actual use of their works and content.
The report also reaffirms a fundamental principle: that of the territoriality of copyright. Any AI provider placing a model on the European market must comply with European Union law, regardless of where they are established.
This resolution serves as a call to address the structural imbalance between generative AI companies and creators in the European Union. In this regard, the report highlights that the widespread adoption of these technologies’ risks undermining and destroying artistic jobs and exacerbating the concentration of value in the hands of a small number of global players.
The ECCD fully shares this concern and calls on the European Commission to act swiftly, proposing ambitious and concrete measures and legislative tools that respond to the urgency and scale of the challenges identified, in order to preserve cultural diversity and ensure a level playing field.
Finally, the ECCD would like to thank the rapporteur, Axel Voss, the shadow rapporteurs and all MEPs, whose commitment has resulted in a robust, visionary text that remains faithful to the European principles of cultural sovereignty.