UNSW Sydney researchers have proposed a new copyright framework that would give Australian creators greater control over how their work is used by artificial intelligence companies, introduce payments for the use of creative material and speed up the removal of unauthorised AI-generated content.

Called Copyright Plus, the proposal has been presented to the federal government as a way to protect creators’ rights while allowing AI technology to develop.

The framework addresses concerns that artists, performers and writers have little control over how their work is used to train AI systems, even when it is publicly available online. It also seeks to protect First Nations cultural and intellectual property.

Law Building, UNSW, Sydney. Photo supplied

Professor Kathy Bowrey, an intellectual property specialist at UNSW Law, says creators currently lack meaningful control over how technology companies use their work, how copyright is licensed and whether unauthorised synthetic content can be removed.

“Creators should have the right to know how their work is being used – and to decide whether they consent to that use,” Prof. Bowrey says.

“But they can’t make an informed choice about AI training if they don’t know whether their work is being used.”

Copyright Plus proposes three key measures: a right for creators to refuse AI use of their work, a remuneration scheme funded by AI companies, and more accessible enforcement mechanisms.

Under the proposal, AI companies would have to disclose their training data sources, while copyright holders would be required to reveal licensing terms, payment arrangements and conditions affecting creators’ moral rights. Companies involved in licensing would also have to respect creators’ decisions to refuse the use of their work for AI training or imitation.

An AI levy would fund payments to affected artists, including those who have not participated in major commercial licensing deals, as well as a broader cultural fund supporting the arts sector.

The framework would also allow artists and professional organisations to seek expedited removal of unauthorised AI content, including material mimicking individual creators and works subject to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property restrictions.

Associate Professor Oliver Bown, a co-author of the proposal, says AI policy must ensure technology serves the public interest rather than leaving creators subject to the power of foreign corporations.

“The technological developments underpinning modern AI, as with the internet, were made with public money – and so, should result in technologies that serve the public good,” Brown said.

“If we don’t design people power into our AI policies, we resign ourselves to being dictated to by foreign corporate powers.”