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NLJ this week: AI mining & the threat to creative industries

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Web scraping and the illegal appropriation of copyrighted works is a difficult nut to crack. In this week’s NLJ, Paul Schwartfeger, barrister, 36 Stone, looks at the applicable law, including caselaw on the topic and the ongoing Getty case

A government consultation is currently underway, proposing artificial intelligence (AI) companies be allowed to mine publicly available content for commercial training purposes, unless rights holders expressly opt out.

As Schwartfeger writes, however, the opt out proposal ‘risks creating a system where a reproduction is lawful when executed by a machine but unlawful when done by a human’.

Moreover, both sides are wary—creatives fear their livelihoods will be threatened, while AI developers say the proposals are technically unworkable. Schwartfeger considers how the gap might be bridged. He recommends ‘targeted legal reform and clear regulatory guidance’. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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