Music publishers warn Australia risks standing alone on AI copyright
The global body for music publishers says Australia appears to be the only country considering watering down copyright laws to suit artificial intelligence companies.
The warning came from the International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP), which represents Sony, Warner and Universal as well as thousands of independent publishers on six continents, according to The Guardian. Its managing director is John Phelan.
The confederation has claimed AI has already been trained on works of Australian artists including Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave without compensation. Evidence it provided showed Google's Gemini was able to reproduce lyrics from Australian artists including Minogue, G-Flip and Nick Cave. Songs by Tame Impala and Sia were also among those reportedly used by AI companies to train AI, according to Rolling Stone.
Phelan told Guardian Australia that AI companies were asking policymakers to "legitimise larceny". He said the companies were trying to strong-arm Australian policymakers with an "if you don't do this, we won't invest" message.
He said 62 countries had considered making legal changes on AI and copyright but none of the others had bought into AI companies' demands. Of dozens of countries approached to water down copyright laws, he said, Australia appears to be the only one considering doing so.
The debate has reached the top of the federal government. In July 2026, Anthony Albanese said it would be "theft" if artists did not retain control over whether their work was used to build and train AI and what they were paid for its use. The chair of the relevant inquiry, Jo Briskey, and deputy chair Senator Jonathon Duniam recommended in a joint letter to the prime minister that the government "examine current copyright settings" while ensuring creators retain control and are paid.
The Productivity Commission has put a different view. It has said many had told it Australia's approach to copyright had effectively taken Australia off the map for AI training, according to the Productivity Commission. Its inquiry report on harnessing data and digital technology states that Australia's copyright laws are out of sync with the rest of the world on fair use or text and data mining exceptions, the rules that govern how large amounts of material can be copied for analysis.
