CEPIC is proud to join a coalition of leading creative and cultural organisations across Europe in calling for significant improvements to the Second Draft of the General-purpose AI Code of Practice under the EU AI Act. Together with 14 other signatories representing a wide range of industries—including publishing, music, film, and photography—we are urging the EU to ensure that the Code of Practice aligns with the objectives of the AI Act and respects the principles of EU copyright law.
The current draft introduces ambiguities that could undermine both legal certainty and the rights of creators. Specifically, the draft suggests that general-purpose AI providers only need to make "reasonable and proportionate efforts" to ensure lawful access to copyrighted content used for training their models. This language not only conflicts with the EU DSM Copyright Directive but also creates potential loopholes, allowing AI models to be trained on copyrighted material without proper licensing or accountability. As a coalition, we believe this weakens the foundation of Europe’s innovative and globally competitive creative industries.
Additionally, the draft raises concerns about the use of tools like robots.txt to express copyright reservations, despite their functional limitations. It also risks unfairly exempting smaller companies from compliance, creating loopholes that could further erode copyright protections. As signatories, we are committed to advocating for a robust and legally sound framework that ensures fair treatment and accountability across the AI value chain. By aligning the Code of Practice with EU law and addressing these critical issues, the EU can strike a balance between supporting responsible AI development and safeguarding the rights of creators.
We stand united in our belief that innovation and creativity must grow together, and we call on the AI Office to prioritise these necessary improvements. To read the full letter sent to Executive Vice-President Virkkunen, you can select the PDF linked on this article.