While some artificial intelligence (AI) companies are demanding the introduction of a "text and data mining (TDM) exemption" provision that would exempt them from copyright infringement liability during the training process, creators' organizations have made it clear that they oppose this move.
The Independent Creators Policy Council held an emergency meeting on September 11 and discussed the following topics: establishing principles for copyright protection related to AI training, sharing cases of license applications, and exploring operational plans for licensing (including pricing models) and an integrated data center. The council reaffirmed that "the introduction of an exemption provision is not acceptable."
During the meeting, the world's first contract between a generative AI company and the Korea Music Copyright Association was introduced as a case study. The council stated, "Since the procedure was not complicated and the contract was concluded quickly, licensing is possible if institutional improvements are made." On the other hand, the council pointed out as a problem that some companies have not even attempted to enter into contracts, while publicly claiming that "contracts are difficult."
The biggest issue was the licensing price model. The council decided that while specialized AI in specific fields would continue to be handled through individual negotiations, a "unified guideline-based pricing model" would be established for general-purpose large language models (LLMs) through agreements among rights-holder organizations. The basic structure will be linked to revenue, and a minimum compensation floor and a weighting system for each copyrighted work will be implemented to balance compensation for rights holders with the burden on users.
Additionally, the council decided to formalize the "pre-contract principle," which stipulates that works without a contract cannot be used for training, and to consider measures to ensure that the same conditions are maintained if a model is transferred or reused. The council plans to establish pricing formulas and weighting standards through joint research, and to discuss the creation of a data center for searching and identifying rights holders' works.
A council representative stated, "Unauthorized training only leads to the mass production of low-quality results," and added, "Since rights holders are making concessions for mutual benefit, AI companies should sincerely engage in negotiations instead of demanding exemptions."
The Independent Creators Policy Council is a consultative body with the participation of major creator and rights-holder organizations in music, video, webtoons, photography, and fine arts. The council continues to propose policies aimed at transparent disclosure of AI training data, establishing a fair compensation system, and improving unfair contracts.
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