UK creators prime minister creator human rights

Photo Credit: Elton John by Shawn Miller for the Library of Congress

The UK’s leading creators and creative organizations issue an open letter demanding the government protect copyright from AI tech companies.

Ahead of U.S. President Trump’s visit to the United Kingdom, 70-plus of the UK’s biggest creators and creative organizations have issued an open letter calling on the government to protect the rights of UK copyright holders by upholding international human rights standards.

With signatures from heavy-hitters including Mick Jagger, Annie Lennox, Paul McCartney, Sting, Kate Bush, and Elton John, the letter has also been signed by creative organizations like the News Media Association, UK Music, Pan MacMillan, and Getty Images.

The signatories demand that the government set out its justification for failing to enforce the rights of UK copyright holders, per international and UK human rights law. Further, they ask why the government blocked the transparency and enforcement mechanisms demanded by rights holders during the passage of the Data (Use and Access) Act.

“Administration of copyright must be transparent. And it must have an artist’s full permission. These two principles are the bedrock of our industry and crucial for the survival of future generations of world-beating UK creatives,” wrote Elton John, whose storied career as a singer-songwriter spans over 50 years.

“What is being waved through leaves the door wide open for an artist’s life work to be stolen, skimmed, and scraped by Big Tech AI companies. We will not accept this, and we will not let the government forget their election promises to support our creative industries.”

“The UK government should not be valuing corporate interests above the rights of its citizens. It should not be giving away our cultural heritage and our creative future to Silicon Valley,” added Robert Smith, lead vocalist of The Cure. “It should instead be standing up to the Big Tech AI companies that continue to ignore the many long-established laws of copyright. Artists and creators must retain control over their own work; any eroding of this basic right is simply wrong.”

The letter cautions that refusing to take the steps necessary to make existing law enforceable risks ceding control of the UK’s creative economy—and the rights of its citizens—to overseas interests.

The UK government is looking to finalize a tech trade agreement with the United States during President Trump’s visit. Any potential deal will undoubtedly feature AI as a foundational component.

During the passage of the Data (Use and Access) Act, the former Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle; and former Creative Industries Minister, Chris Bryant, committed to creating a Parliamentary Working Group to enable the House of Commons and House of Lords to have greater input into policy development. Thus far, that group has yet to be formed—and both Kyle and Bryant left their roles in the recent government reshuffle.

Initial meetings of Industry Working Groups, bringing together creative and tech stakeholders, have taken place. But reports have criticized the lack of (UK-based) AI representation, leading to fears that British tech companies are being overlooked in favor of supporting larger, U.S.-based competitors.