The Continuing Story of the Amazing Uk U-turn - PART 2

On the 1st February 2023, The UK Music Chief Executive - Jamie Njoku-Goodwin announced that he welcomed the UK Government, Intellectual Property minister – George Freeman  -  (February 1, 2023) that he plans to scrap, the proposed, broad copyright exception for text and data mining purposes. 

Please witness the announcement and speech below via the Youtube Video 

I believe that many peoples that are working within the UK music industry, will be at least, smiling to themselves at hearing this news.

To them, George Freeman (The UK Intellectual Property Minister) was/is moving in the right direction, or has at last seen the light as he plans to scrap the Introduction of the UK’s Government copyright exception for text and mining purposes.

However, before all of this can be analyzed. I would just like to remind you to what has happened politically, within the UK that could have helped shape the decision that was taken above.,

Even the most open and broad-minded journalist. You could say the same with a large number of the UK public in general. Where we could not believe our eyes, as to what was to happen from the 23^rd of September 2022 and onward towards 2023.

We were to witness the sacking of the UK Chancellor, Kwasi Kwareng on the – 14^TH OCTOBER 2022. After he was blamed for the Uk economy nose driving to disastrous levels within the financial markets around the world  (Please click on the YouTube News video below to witness what happened) 

Very soon an announcement was made by Prime Minister – Liz Truss that Jeremy Hunt had been appointed as the UK's next Chancellor on 14 OCTOBER 2022.   Please click on the Youtube link below,

Under immense pressure from all corners of the Uk Parliament.

We see the main opposition party of the Government which is the Labour Party, and its leader (Keir Starmer), we're asking,, where is the Prime Minister, when the country’s finances are in serious trouble  on 17 OCTOBER 2022

The UK’s new chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, had decided to ditch almost all of the tax cuts announced by the previous, UK Chancellor, Kwasi Kwareng, and our Prime Minister, Liz Truss almost three weeks earlier. in the same year.

The new chancellor made a series of U-turns to UK financial policies.

The basic rate of income tax remains at 20p indefinitely, instead of being cut, and the energy price guarantee will only be in place until April.. -The date of the announcement was on  - 17 OCTOBER 2022 

'I Am a Fighter and Not a Quitter!' states Prime Minister, Liz Truss. As she is under fire when she returns back in the chambers of the U.K. Parliament  on 19 OCTOBER 2022 

 Liz Truss vows to stay but is her Home Secretary quits instead on the 19 OCT 2022 

Liz Truss has decided to resign on the - 20 OCT 2022

FINDING A NEW PRIME MINISTER – RISHI, BORIS, or PENNY? - 21 Oct 2022 

RISHI IS THE NEW UK PRIME MINISTER ON THE 25 Oct 2022 

With that in mind last summer (July 2022) the UK Government sent out proposals to amend copyright law that would enable developers and organizations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to exploit copyright-protected works without the permission of creators and rights holders.

Due to the catastrophes of what happened to the present Uk government in 2022. George Freeman has decided to hold back on government intervention on this important pivot that we have reached in the Uk music industry. The whole Industry is set on a delicate knife-edge at the moment. And all it takes is something like Ai involvement within Uk music to bring it all crashing down.

UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin – now welcomes a change of heart by Mr. George Freeman (The UK Intellectual Property Minister) regarding this matter.

Mr. Njoku-Goodwin added “UK Music warmly welcomes the minister’s decision to scrap plans for a catastrophic blanket copyright exception.

“The whole music industry has been united in its opposition to these proposals, which would have paved the way for music laundering and opened up our brilliant creators and rights holders to gross exploitation.

“We are delighted to see the back of a policy that risked irreparable damage to the global success story that is the UK music industry.

“We now look forward to working with the Government to ensure any future plans are evidence-based and allow artificial intelligence and our world-leading creative industries to grow in tandem.” - 

UK Music of which Jamie Njoku-Goodwin is the UK Music Chief Executive has been campaigning on this issue since 2022.

A  number of the comments above were taken from this website article -https://www.ukmusic.org/news/uk-music-welcomes-breakthrough-in-campaign-to-halt-government-plans-for-music-laundering/ - IST FEB 2023  

Why this has become such a concern to many peoples working within the music industry, was due to the fact of rapid advances in the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our very lives.

The astonishing pace of artificial intelligence (AI) has left, little time for policymakers, politicians, business leaders, and many
others in the music industry to fully assess the potential risks, against the balance which the benefits of AI could bring.

In areas such as public health, for instance, we can see where the benefits which AI could help us all.

Yet, the direction of how the UK GOVERNMENT was going about this. We could have witnessed a devastating impact on the music industry. Where music creators within the Industry could have seen their careers and livelihoods go up in smoke.

Data and Data Mining

During the summer of 2022. The UK Government had laid out plans for a new copyright exception ruling, that would have allowed for the practice of text and data mining for any purpose, including commercial use to take place..

TDM, or text and data mining is the process of using computers to automatically extract patterns and trends from different sources, including music.  And, within this practice, creating innumerable copies of music, being made, to the detriment of the music creators.

For example, AI technology (Artificial Intelligence) is fed copies of existing music.

Using this technology it is then possible to analyze these music copies to identify, musical patterns within the music before going on to generate supposedly ‘new’ music from the original works.

At present, AI organizations or firms cannot plunder artists’ back catalogs to create new works. Then to monetize; because they would be in breach of long-standing rules on copyright here in The UK.

If they want to use a piece of music, they have to seek permission from the music creator/s to do so.

It was why, during the summer of 2022 (July), a number of objections were raised when a proposed change to the copyright law was asked of by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO)., and the government

If the ruling had been passed as law in Parliament, all of the protections mentioned above could have been swept away.

Initially, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) originally put forward proposals, that would allow for AI text and data mining for any purpose to take place.  Without the possibility, for the music creators or music rights holders to opt out of these proposed changes which caused all the outrage,

A blanket exception would have paved the way for AI companies to make huge profits by laundering music they do not own, do not have permission to use, and certainly have not paid for.

Under this change, the creators of the original music would not have seen a penny or gotten a chance to decide what happens to their own creations.

Stolen Creations.

The success of the UK music industry is based on the talent and creativity of UK music makers, musicians, duo or solo artists, and their willingness to grasp and understand the business side of the music industry.

The removal of these UK copyright protections would have seen the UK Government handing over complete control and back catalogs of UK musicians; to these AI companies and organizations, without any compensation at all.

This change in the ruling would have meant a huge transfer of value and wealth from the Uk’s Music Industry to the huge AI corporations.

You would have thought the IPO Intellectual Property Office - would have researched this area extensively, and factored in all aspects of these things potentially happening. However, they didn’t.

Harm

The IPO (Intellectual Property Office) wrongly claimed at the time (Summer 2022) that its proposed rulings were in line with international practices.

However, it is found hardly any other country has not gone down this route. The few that had, had made sure to build in safeguards.

For example the country of Germany. Who has included an opt-out mechanism, to ensure the rights holders or music creators remain in control

The UK nation is still recognized as one of the world’s most creative music superpowers.

However, it appeared that our own Government contemplated pursuing a policy that would have caused, serious harm to one of our most successful business sectors. In other words, shooting ourselves on our own feet.

The few supporters of this planned ruling made it clear that they do not want to pay for the work of our creators; whose music or text was going to be mined for all its worth.

If you want to see the original article and the exact thoughts of -  UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin  ON THIS  - Please go here  - https://www.ukmusic.org/news/uk-music-chief-outlines-threat-to-music-of-text-and-data-mining-to-musicians/ - date - 15 Dec 2022  and also please go here  -  The Winter 2022 edition of The Musician magazine - The website link is - https://musiciansunion.org.uk/

My thoughts on the whole thing? Then yours???

After some extremely difficult years for the UK music industry; which began after 2016, and BREXIT.; and then after the Co-vid19 pandemic. The UK music industry has really pulled up its sleeves and tried to bounce back.

It is this attitude that has allowed us to witness successes such as this - https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/04/uk-top-10-singles-of-2022-were-all-by-british-artists-harry-styles - 4th Jan 2023.

But let's not give ourselves high fives and slaps on the back just yet.

Our musicians and artists are still trying to navigate around the fact of trying to complete music tours (If they can) within Europe, after our nation's decision to leave the European Union;

We are also in all in an extremely difficult situation at the moment, when it comes to the Cost of Living Crisis that is affecting the whole nation here in the Uk

So it has to be said, Why are our ministers trying to shoot ourselves in the foot by installing proposals that will harm the little green shoots of recovery that the industry is making?

Self-harm is not the way. It never has been.

If you want to help. you can do so.

UK Music is leading the charge on this. They are urging every MU member to support their campaign on this. They are also urging you to voice your concerns about this matter to your local Member of Parliament. To convince the Uk Government to think again, and abandon this cause of action completely