Members of the European Parliament have intensified calls for artificial intelligence (AI) developers and providers to pay fair compensation when their systems are trained on copyrighted European works, including books, articles, music, films, photographs, and artworks.
In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, January 22, 2026, the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee backed the idea of a new AI-specific copyright framework that would require tech companies to obtain licences or pay royalties for the use of protected materials in AI training datasets.
Key points from the resolution and ongoing discussions: Mandatory Payment & Transparency Lawmakers want AI companies to disclose exactly which copyrighted works were used in training their models and to negotiate fair remuneration with rights holders (publishers, authors, musicians, filmmakers, photographers, etc.).
Opt-Out vs. Opt-In Debate -The EU is moving toward an opt-out system (rights holders must actively exclude their works) but with stronger safeguards, including mandatory collective licensing schemes for hard-to-clear content.
Fair Use Alternatives Rejected -Unlike the U.S., where “fair use” has been cited by AI firms to defend training on copyrighted data, EU lawmakers insist fair use is too narrow and does not cover large-scale commercial AI training.
Text and Data Mining (TDM) Exception -The existing TDM exception in EU copyright law (for research purposes) is not sufficient for commercial AI development, the resolution argues.
Enforcement & Penalties -Proposals include fines, injunctions, and potential blocking of non-compliant AI models in the EU market.
The push is driven by European creators, publishers, and cultural industries who argue that AI companies are profiting massively from European intellectual property without compensation, threatening the livelihoods of writers, journalists, artists, and musicians.
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Quotes from Key Figures MEP Axel Voss (EPP, Germany), rapporteur on AI liability: “We cannot allow the creative economy of Europe to subsidise the development of AI giants. If they use our content, they must pay for it – just like any other business.”
MEP Stephane Séjourné (Renew, France): “This is not anti-innovation. This is pro-creators. Europe must lead on ethical AI that respects human creativity.”
Society of Authors & Publishers (joint statement): “AI models are built on the backs of creators. Without payment, we risk the collapse of professional creative industries.”
The resolution now heads to the full European Parliament plenary for a vote in February 2026. If adopted, it will feed into ongoing trilogue negotiations between Parliament, Council, and Commission on the final shape of EU AI and copyright rules.
The decision could set a global precedent and force major AI companies (OpenAI, Google, Meta, Anthropic, xAI, etc.) to either pay licensing fees or exclude EU copyrighted works from training data in European markets.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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