FREEMAN MICHAEL HEALY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RIGHTSHOLDER AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE CENTER PRESENTS THE FIRST COLLECTIVE COPYRIGHT LICENSE TO INCLUDE AI RE-USE RIGHTS.

The inclusion of AI re-use rights makes the ACL the first-ever collective licensing solution for the internal use of copyrighted materials in AI systems. The license enables participating rightsholders to fulfill the needs of companies that require an efficient way to legally acquire the rights to use copyrighted materials within AI systems for internal use.

“It is possible to be pro-AI and pro-copyright, and to couple AI with respect for creators,” said Tracey Armstrong, President and CEO, CCC. “Responsible AI starts with licensing, and in developing this license, CCC enables users to efficiently gain access to a consistent set of rights across many rightsholders and returns royalties to rightsholders as compensation for use of their works.”

Advances in AI systems are impacting all industries, speeding up research and development and improving operational efficiency. AI systems rely on a variety of materials, including high-quality copyrighted content, to deliver the most meaningful value. These systems rely on content and the creation and storage of copies that can be accessed for future reference.

As society realizes the benefits promised by AI systems, voluntary, non-exclusive collective licensing solutions like the ACL effectively enable the use of copyrighted materials with AI systems, which create copies and retain the expression of the original works on which they are trained. The license provides users with a harmonized set of internal use AI rights from a broad range of rightsholders and provides rightsholders with remuneration for these new uses of their content.

“For AI to advance ethically and in a sustainable manner, it is essential to both protect authors and publishers from infringement and incentivize them to participate,” said Maria Pallante, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers. “Efficient, voluntary licensing solutions are a win-win for everybody in the value chain, including AI developers who want to do the right thing. I am grateful to organizations like CCC, as they are helping the next generation marketplace to evolve robustly and in forward-thinking fashion.”

“To fulfill its potential, AI must be paired with an appreciation of, and respect for, creators and copyright, which fuels responsible AI innovation,” added Babis Marmanis, Executive Vice President and CTO, CCC. “This incentivizes the development of creative works that serve as the foundational materials upon which AI systems are built.”

Since 1978, CCC has supported content users by providing efficient, harmonized licensing solutions that cover their internal uses of content. CCC’s portfolio of non-exclusive voluntary collective licensing solutions includes ACL for Business, Multinational Copyright License (MCL) for Business, ACL for Higher Education, ACL for Curriculum & Instruction, and ACL for Student Assessments.  In addition to licensing solutions, CCC provides one-stop access for users to request, receive, and pay for full-text content and permissions to re-use content.

CCC actively advocates for copyright worldwide, engaging governments, stakeholders, and individuals with educational programming and thought leadership resources.  The organization also produces an online hub, AI, Copyright & Licensing, which features informational resources for creators, publishers, rightsholders, technologists, media representatives, policymakers, intellectual property attorneys, and others.