UK adopts Data (Use and Access) Bill with copyright focus
The law requires the government to report to Parliament within six months on its progress in assessing the economic impact of AI and how copyright is being handled. Earlier proposals that would have required AI companies to disclose which copyrighted works they use were dropped over concerns about the costs for public bodies.
On 11 June 2025, the United Kingdom’s House of Lords adopted the Data (Use and Access) Bill, a legislative measure that introduces new oversight of how copyrighted works are used in the development of artificial intelligence systems. Among its provisions, the Bill requires the Secretary of State to report to Parliament within six months on progress towards publishing an economic impact assessment and a report on AI and copyright, unless those documents have already been released.
The Bill has gone through several amendments, particularly focused on improving transparency and strengthening copyright protection in the context of AI. Earlier proposals from the House of Lords included requiring AI developers to disclose which copyrighted materials were used to train their models and to implement bot disclosure rules. These proposals were ultimately rejected by the House of Commons, which cited concerns about the financial and administrative burdens such requirements might place on publicly funded institutions. The final version, now accepted by both chambers, includes a shortened timeframe for publishing economic and copyright reports (from 12 to 9 months), new mechanisms for enforcing copyright protections in AI development, provisions extending the Bill’s scope to systems developed outside the UK, and the requirement for a six-month progress statement.
This legislative move comes amid growing concern within the UK’s creative industries, which contribute over £124 billion to the national economy. Artists, writers, and other creators have been calling for more transparency from AI developers about how creative works are used in model training. While the Lords pushed for mandatory disclosure rules to help creators better protect and monetise their intellectual property, the government opted instead for a review and assessment approach. As a result, creators may continue to face difficulties in determining whether their works are being used by AI systems, limiting their ability to seek fair compensation.
