Brussels – In today’s plenary session (10 March), the European Parliament adopted by a large majority (460 votes in favour, 71 against, and 88 abstentions) a resolution urging the Commission to initiate a legislative proposal to extend the European directive on copyright to all generative artificial intelligence systems on the EU market, regardless of where they were trained. It is a non-binding document, and the Commission will then decide whether to initiate the legislative process.
“We need clear rules for the use of copyright-protected content for AI training,” said rapporteur Axel Voss. “Legal certainty would let AI developers know which content can be used and how licences can be obtained,” he added. The stated objective is therefore to provide a clear and uniform legal framework that balances support for technological innovation with the protection of creators’ fundamental rights.
One of the pillars of the resolution concerns transparency obligations. Parliament calls on providers of general-purpose AI models to provide a detailed, analytical list of all copyright-protected content used for training, regardless of the jurisdiction in which such training took place. Parliament reiterates the need for European rules to apply to all AI providers operating in the EU market. According to the principle of territoriality, systems that do not comply with the EU copyright legal framework should not be allowed in the single market.
The proposal introduces a “rebuttable presumption” to ensure these obligations work in practice. If a supplier does not comply with the established transparency criteria, it will be presumed that the model has used protected works without authorisation. In the event of a proven violation, the supplier will be required to reimburse all legal costs incurred by the rights holders.
In this scenario, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) is called upon to play a central role as a “trusted intermediary.” The tasks proposed for the agency include: managing registers for “opt-out” clauses, allowing creators to exclude their works from AI training in standardised machine-readable formats, and supporting the creation of a sector-based licensing market through the use of standardised technical formats, to ensure fair and proportionate remuneration for authors and publishers.
Specific attention is paid to “deep fakes.” Voss urges the Commission to investigate measures to protect people from the unauthorised dissemination of content that imitates their physical features or voice, safeguarding their right to their own image and identity.
Several political delegations welcomed the vote. “Copyright and the work of millions of people in the cultural and information sectors must be defended even in the age of artificial intelligence,” said Mario Furore, MEP for the Five Star Movement. “Innovation must go hand in hand with respect for the rights of those who create content. In Europe, over eight million people work in the creative and cultural sectors, including journalists, actors, musicians, writers, and cultural operators,” he added.
“The artificial intelligence revolution offers great opportunities, but it cannot happen at the expense of the rights of authors, artists, and creators. Defending copyright means defending work, creativity, and the quality of our cultural production,” said Nicola Zingaretti, head of the Democratic Party delegation in the European Parliament. “Europe must lead this transition and do so with rules that support innovation but ensure that rights are respected.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
