ASCAP has submitted a comprehensive 60-page document to the Copyright Office addressing artificial intelligence's impact on music copyright, emphasizing the need for enhanced guidance and opposing compulsory licensing requirements.

The organization reaffirmed its six AI principles adopted in 2023, focusing on protecting human creators and ensuring proper compensation for copyrighted works used in AI development.

Key Points from ASCAP's Submission:

• Advocates for voluntary collective licensing over compulsory licensing
• Calls for creation of a federal right of publicity
• Recommends AI developers maintain records of all copyrighted material in their systems
• Opposes "opt-out" models for content removal
• Emphasizes need for transparency in AI training data

ASCAP strongly opposes compulsory licensing, citing historical inefficiencies that have led to:

• Price suppression
• Multi-year litigation
• Delayed payments to creators

The organization argues that AI companies must obtain explicit consent from rightsholders before using copyrighted materials for training. They also suggest holding data aggregators like Common Crawl accountable for facilitating potential copyright infringement.

ASCAP stresses that voluntary licensing, combined with clear Copyright Office guidance, is crucial for establishing a fair market where creators maintain control over their work while allowing AI technology to advance responsibly.

This submission follows recent calls from ASCAP songwriters for legislative action on AI, highlighting the music industry's growing concern over unauthorized use of copyrighted materials in AI development.

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