Could This be the Ai-nswer? A Collective Copyright Licence for Generative AI Training

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), a United Kingdom (UK) not-for-profit, has announced that it is developing a Generative AI (GenAI) Training Licence, and is hoping to publish the licence in the third quarter of 2025.

Why does this matter?

One of the most hotly debated issues surrounding GenAI is how to train AI models, and how to balance the very real concerns of creators and the necessary flexibility for developers to encourage true innovation.

Promoted as “groundbreaking” and a “milestone initiative”, the aim of this licence is a scalable collective licensing solution similar to other copyright collection societies. This licence looks to find that difficult balance by guaranteeing compensation and remuneration for publishers and authors, and by providing developers with legal certainty and material to train models.

Who does it involve?

Alongside the CLA, the Publishers’ Licensing Services (PLS) and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) are also involved in this ambitious development. PLS is a non-profit collective management organisation, owned by the four main UK publishing trade associations and representing 4,500 publishers in the UK, and its aim is to maximise the value and returns of published content through collective licensing. ALCS is a not-for-profit organisation with 125,000 members that works for the benefit of all types of writers, and collects money for secondary uses of writers’ work.

Could this be the AI-nswer?

It might just be. Collective licensing has been proven to work well in a number of industries. By simplifying access to the massive amounts of data necessary to train GenAI models, and streamlining the process to ensure that all creators receive fair compensation for the use of their works, this licence allows legal certainty and protection for both parties.

It also allows smaller creators to obtain benefit from the language training where they may have missed out due to their lack of bargaining power. It could also slow the already accumulating number of cases bubbling away around the world on this very topic.

The availability of these types of licences will also likely alter the risk profile for transactions involving AI systems in the UK and internationally, which to date have had to proceed without adequate measures to address third party copyright litigation risk.

Watch this space!

By Arthur Artinian, Simon Casinader, Shane Hubbard and Georgina Rigg