DPIIT’s licencing model for copyright burdensome with success depending on implementation, say experts

Govt moots AI developers paying creators for copyrighted training data. In a significant step towards establishing a legal framework for balancing copyright with the evolution of the generative Al ecosystem in India, the Centre on Tuesday proposed a mandatory licensing regime for AI developers that incorporates a statutory remuneration right for content creators. “India’s approach will open up the lawful use of copyrighted content for AI training with fair royalties being paid to the creators,” Sajai Singh, partner, JSA Advocates and Solicitors, said. “Considering the US, EU and UK models, India’s Inter-Ministerial working groups are expected to develop clear guidelines. It would be important for India to also study the Japan example, as well as seek international cooperation in standard-setting from organizations like the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),” he adds. As per Singh, ongoing litigations, such as those around ANI Media v. OpenAI Inc. has got India thinking resulting in the DPIIT Committee report. “It’s good to see that India’s approach to copyright and generative AI is evolving towards a hybrid model,” he adds. Read more