MAKE IT FAIR

25 February 2025 - Press release

• UK creative industries launch copyright fightback against global tech firms’ AI models
• Hundreds of news brand titles to run a campaign today as the government consultation ends


The UK’s creative industries have today launched a bold campaign to highlight how their content is at risk of being given away for free to AI firms as the government proposes weakening copyright law. A government consultation seeking views on the copyright issue closes today.

The ‘Make it Fair’ campaign was developed to raise awareness among the British public about the existential threat posed to the creative industries from generative AI models, many of which scrape creative content from the internet without permission, acknowledgement, and critically, without payment.

The impact on creative businesses and individuals throughout the country – who collectively generate over £120 billion a year towards the UK economy – will be devastating if this continues unchecked, or worse still if the government legitimises this content theft.

On 25 February, which is the last day of the government’s consultation, regional and national daily news brands are running the same cover wrap and homepage takeover.

The campaign cover wrap states: “MAKE IT FAIR: The government wants to change the UK's laws to favour big tech platforms so they can use British creative content to power their AI models without our permission or payment. Let's protect the creative industries – it's only fair.”

Weekly titles will run the campaign throughout the next week, with the aim of appealing to the British public to write to their MPs and back the creative industries.

Launching the campaign today, Owen Meredith, CEO of News Media Association, said: “We already have gold-standard copyright laws in the UK. They have underpinned growth and job creation in the creative economy across the UK - supporting some of the world’s greatest creators - artists, authors, journalists, scriptwriters, singers and songwriters to name but a few.

“And for a healthy democratic society, copyright is fundamental to publishers’ ability to invest in trusted quality journalism. The only thing which needs affirming is that these laws also apply to AI, and transparency requirements should be introduced to allow creators to understand when their content is being used. Instead, the government proposes to weaken the law and essentially make it legal to steal content.

“There will be no AI innovation without the high-quality content that is the essential fuel for AI models. We're appealing to the great British public to get behind our ‘Make it Fair’ campaign and call on the government to guarantee creatives are able to secure proper financial reward from AI firms to ensure a sustainable future for both AI and the creative industries.”

Launching a music industry campaign to coincide with the ‘Make it Fair’ campaign, Ed NewtonRex said: "1,000 UK musicians released a joint album today, recordings of empty studios, calling on the government to change course or risk empty studios becoming the norm. The government’s proposals would hand the life’s work of the UK’s talented creators - its musicians, its writers, its artists - to AI companies, for free. The government must change course and make it fair.” 


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Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of the BPI, said:
“We stand behind today’s Make It FAIR campaign, which calls on Government to protect human creativity in the age of generative AI.  Britain's creative industries have been rightly recognised by Government as one of eight priority sectors for economic growth. They are worth £125 billion per year to our economy, employ over 2.4 million people, and are the source of immense cultural power on the global stage.

“The sweeping changes to copyright law currently being proposed would completely undermine this growth opportunity, essentially making it legal for international AI firms to plunder the UK’s music, books, film and more, all for their own profit and without the need for authorisation or compensation. Creators and rights-holders would in theory be given the option to 'opt-out' of having their work used to train AI models - but other markets have shown that opt-out schemes are unworkable in practice, and ineffective in protecting against misuse and theft.

“The UK's gold-standard copyright framework is central to the global success of our creative industries. We understand AI’s potential to drive change including greater productivity or improvements to public services, but it is entirely possible to realise this without destroying our status as a creative superpower.”