Overview
- At a Senate cultural policy inquiry in Canberra, artists including Holly Rankin (Jack River) and Adam Briggs urged lawmakers to block a proposed text‑and‑data‑mining exception to the Copyright Act.
- ARIA and PPCA formally rejected the Productivity Commission’s recommendation, arguing an exception would strip creators of commercial and moral rights and funnel benefits to large tech companies.
- The Tech Council of Australia signalled support for opt‑out tools and content deals that would let creators block AI training on their work and be paid when they choose to license it.
- Productivity commissioners defended their interim report as a consultation document, noting more than 400 submissions, while critics said the body failed to model impacts or properly consult creatives.
- The government reiterated it has no plans to weaken copyright, as artists highlighted the sector’s economic contribution and pointed to existing licensing pathways already used by news and music companies.