DAACI Shares Solutions for Copyright and AI - Ethical, Legal Framework Presented to Government for Generative Music Creation

27 March 2025 - Press release

DAACI has today released a white paper demonstrating that they have an ethical, legal framework for creating generative original music, that embeds copyright, consent and attribution for artists at its core.

The white paper, an output of DAACI's Innovate UK funded grant research portfolio, is a timely response to the recent government copyright and AI consultation and subsequent demands from the music industry.

Practical Application Showcases Framework in Action
In a practical demonstration to industry leaders and stakeholders today, DAACI showed one of the outcomes of their Innovate UK BridgeAI Grant. During the grant, the DAACI research team went beyond the theoretical, creating an app to demonstrate real-life practical application of the DAACI framework. This shows how sample companies, creators, rights holders and artists can be rewarded to a deep level of attribution, whilst creators can access DAACI's assistive technology in the palm of their hand, with peace of mind that they are using an ethical system.

"At BIMM University, we see this collaboration with DAACI as essential to preparing the next generation of music professionals for an AI-augmented industry," notes David Jones-Owen, CEO and Vice-Chancellor at BIMM University. "Our AI_Labs are committed to supporting frameworks that maintain artistic integrity while embracing technological advancement. This project exemplifies how education, technology and industry can work together to create responsible innovation that benefits the entire music ecosystem.”

Human-Centered Approach Sets New Standard
Unlike LLMs that train on large data sets of previously written music, DAACI's system involves the human creator from the start, and the white paper explains how this crucial element shows the output of the DAACI system is copyrightable, original music, that can be traced back to show all artistic input, and attribute and compensate accordingly.

The white paper has been sent to the government in response to their Consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence. The consultation, which included proposed softening of copyright laws to allow innovation, met with widespread industry and artist disapproval. Lord Kevin Brennan of Canton recently asked the government to consider ethical solutions such as DAACI's during debate on copyright and AI in the House of Lords and The Baroness Jones of Whitchurch responded with her hope for DAACI to provide its response to the consultation.

"This framework represents a very positive vision for the future of music creation," says Lord Kevin Brennan of Canton. "I’ve been a supporter of DAACI’s approach, which I highlighted in the House of Lords during the recent copyright and AI debate, since 2024. Solutions like DAACI's demonstrate that we can embrace technological innovation while maintaining the integrity and value of creative work, ensuring a sustainable ecosystem for all music professionals."

Addressing Key Industry Challenges
DAACI's solution addresses many of the issues around generative AI such as:

• Training data - What goes into large data sets and the issue of artist's control.

• Legal challenges - Is the system making the music copyrightable itself, and is the work it creates copyrightable because it's a computer doing it?

• Who owns the material when it's finished?

Legal, ethical and industry reflection on DAACI’s AI-Generated music compliance mechanism, provided by Cliff Fluet at grant partner Lewis Silkin LLP confirms the following:

• Legal Compliance: DAACI's framework ensures AI-generated music meets UK copyright law by requiring significant human creative input.

• Human Creativity: Emphasises the necessity of substantial human input for copyright protection, ensuring AI-generated works reflect genuine creativity.

• Transparent Attribution: Provides clear tracking of musical contributions, ensuring proper credit and fair remuneration for creators.

• Ethical Royalty Distribution: Proposes mandatory opt-in consent, comprehensive creator protection, and fair remuneration for all rights holders.

• Enhancing Creativity: Positions DAACI's technology as a tool that enhances, not replaces, human creativity, requiring substantial human input.

• Algorithmic Transparency: Ensures full traceability of each creative decision, promoting trust and accountability.

• Fair Remuneration: Includes mechanisms for fair compensation, supporting the economic sustainability of the music industry.

• Opt-In Consent: Advocates for mandatory opt-in consent for the use of musical works by AI developers, ensuring creators retain control.

• Creator Protection: Proposes certification for "Creator-Respecting AI Tools" and standardised metadata tags to signal consent status.

• Copyright Compliance: Requires substantial human creative input for AI-generated works to qualify for copyright protection, preventing misappropriation.

"As an author of 79 granted patents DAACI is at the forefront of technological innovation and crucially, we’re passionate about protecting creator and artist rights. Innovation should not come at the expense of other people’s hard work, knowledge and creativity - it’s unacceptable. We must move beyond this and DAACI will lead in this with utmost respect for the industry and people that brought us here," says Dr Joe Lyske, Co-CEO and inventor of DAACI. “DAACI's framework moves us forward, to a world where innovation and respect for artists' rights can go hand in hand. There is a future where the music industry itself provides the solution. We’re creatives, let us solve the problem and get this right with an ethical solution that gives hope for us all.”

Supporting the Music Industry
Over 1,000 musicians recently released a silent album in protest at the UK government's planned changes to copyright law.

UK Music, who DAACI collaborated with for the 2024 All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music inquiry and subsequent report, Artificial Intelligence and the Music Industry – Master or Servant? and who recently supported the Ed Sheeran Foundation’s call for the government to support music in education in the UK, highlighted the practical challenges of the proposed “opt-out” mechanism and risks to the music industry.

BPI, who supported DAACI through the Music and Tech Springboard Program, has been strongly lobbying against any watering down of copyright protections and arguing the case for the UK’s music industry. The organisation is advocating for the development of a robust licensing system in the UK based on the existing copyright framework, with additional transparency requirements.

"This framework represents a critical milestone in ensuring AI music generation evolves in a way that respects creators' rights," says Cliff Fluet, Joint Head of Media & Entertainment at Lewis Silkin LLP. "By establishing clear legal parameters and ethical guidelines, DAACI's approach creates a sustainable ecosystem where innovation can flourish while properly valuing and protecting the contributions of all music professionals involved in the creative process.”

The white paper is available for download here.