Elton John slams government as ‘losers’ over AI copyright row
Sir Elton John described the Government as “absolute losers” and said he felt “incredibly betrayed” after calls by peers to amend the Data (Use and Access) Bill to include greater copyright protections against artificial intelligence (AI) were resisted.
Earlier this week, the House of Lords supported an amendment designed to ensure copyright holders would have to give permission over whether their work was used, and in turn, see what aspects had been taken, by who and when.
MPs voted 297 to 168, majority 129, to disagree with this change on Wednesday evening, which means the stand-off between the two Houses over the wording of the Bill continues.
The Government has argued that some of the proposed amendments to the Bill pre-empt the results of its copyright and AI consultation, and it does not want to legislate in a “piecemeal” fashion.
Sir Elton is among hundreds of creatives who have urged the Government to protect copyright law.
Sir Elton: ‘I feel incredibly betrayed’
Speaking to the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Sir Elton said: “It’s criminal, in that I feel incredibly betrayed.
“The House of Lords did a vote, and it was more than two to one in our favour, the Government just looked at it as if to say, ‘hmmm, well the old people… like me can afford it.”
The singer said the Government was on track to “rob young people of their legacy and their income, it’s a criminal offence, I think”.
He added: “The government are just being absolute losers, and I’m very angry about it.”
Sir Elton also said he was prepared to take ministers to court, telling the programme: “We’ll fight it all the way”.
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson said: “The Data (Use and Access) Bill is focused on unlocking the secure and effective use of data for the public interest – boosting the economy by an estimated £10 billion over the course of the next 10 years to help deliver the growth which is fundamental to the government’s plan for change.
“We want our creative industries and AI companies to flourish, which is why we have been separately consulting on a package of measures that we hope will work for both sectors.
“We have always been clear that we will not rush into any decisions or bring forward any legislation until we are confident that we have a practical plan which delivers on each of our objectives.”
By John Besley, PA