Experts warn AI copyright changes could breach Australian constitution and spark huge compensation rights case

AI Summary

Australian lawmakers and the recording industry warn that changing copyright law to allow AI firms to scrape copyrighted works could violate constitutional protections on property acquisition. Constitutional expert Anne Twomey says the risk depends on how legislation is drafted, while the attorney general’s department says it is actively considering the issue.

Scraping copyrighted material from internet could ‘potentially’ amount to acquisition of property by government, Anne Twomey says Get our daily political email, free app or daily news podcast Altering copyright law to allow AI companies to scrape music, books and journalism could trigger a constitutional breach, Coalition senators and the recording industry have warned, as they raise new fears it could open Australia to massive legal action and compensation claims from rights holders worldwide. The attorney general’s department admitted it was “extremely alive” to the issue, and Australia’s leading constitutional expert, Anne Twomey, agreed there was “potentially” a concern – depending how legislation was drafted – that granting AI companies permission to scrape copyrighted material from the internet could amount to an acquisition of property by the government. Continue reading...