Authors Call for Fair AI Licensing in Copyright Exception

A strong message to the government from authors and publishers as The London Book Fair kicks off today: ‘The UK government must not legalise book theft to benefit AI companies.’ Nearly 10,000 authors have signed up to have their names included in a book titled Don’t Steal This Book, protesting mass copyright infringement by tech companies to train AI models.  The book, which is empty aside from the names of thousands of names, is launched today at The London Book Fair.  You can see copies of Don’t Steal This Book at publisher stands across The London Book Fair. The Publishers Association is hosting a giant replica of the book on our stand (4D02) – do feel free to come and take a photo and take away our book with our permission. Author signatories include titans of our industry including Malorie Blackman, William Boyd, Ann Cleeves, Caroline Criado Perez, Sebastian Faulks, Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, E. L. James, Adam Kay, Marian Keyes, Kate Mosse, David Olusoga, Alice Oseman, Adele Parks, Richard Osman, Sathnam Sanghera, Ali Smith, Jacqueline Wilson, Jeanette Winterson and thousands more.  Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, said:   “The great copyright heist by tech firms continues to damage our creative industries. As the publishing industry comes together at London Book Fair, the publication of Don’t Steal This Book is an incredibly powerful and timely intervention and we hope that the UK government will listen and act decisively to take any form of copyright exception enabling free access to content by tech firms off the table. Copyright is a driver of innovation, creativity and growth and it’s heartening to see so many world-beating authors standing up for it.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eUqXp-PR #DontStealThisBook #LondonBookFair #LBF2026

We stand with the thousands of authors who have come together to publish an empty book protesting the theft of books and content by tech companies to train AI models. The UK government must not grant a copyright exemption to AI companies. Find out more about our work calling for licensing arrangements that would protect creative industries worldwide: https://cambrid.ge/4kkE5Bx #DontStealThisBook

The number of AI tools in the market is overwhelming. But having been part of various working groups on AI in a publishing house, I have started to understand the conservative approach that the publishing industry is taking towards fully embracing this tool for tomorrow.

The Guardian view on changes to #CopyrightLaws: authors should be protected over #BigTech Writers are voicing their anger at AI theft of their work with ‘Human Authored’ logos and an empty book. The government must listen. In a scene that might have come from a dystopian novel, books were being stamped with “Human Authored” logos at this week’s London Book Fair. The Society of Authors described its labelling scheme as “an important sticking plaster to protect and promote human creativity in lieu of AI labelled content in the marketplace”. https://buff.ly/0iysJ3T #EntraIP #IntellectualProperty #Trademark #Copyright #Patent #PropiedadIntelectual #Marca #Patente

New Author AI News Roundup is live. This week I’m talking about what actually matters for authors: AI at London Book Fair, fresh copyright fights, and a couple of tools that might genuinely earn a place in your toolkit. If you want the no‑nonsense version, it’s here: https://lnkd.in/euvB47D9 #AuthorAINews #AIforAuthors #WritingCommunity #indieauthors #LondonBookFair

Writers: this is really important. Jane, who was an editor at Writer's Digest when I first met her years ago, has put together a well researched guide regarding AI do's and don'ts, including the effect on things like copyright. sharing it in part because you will find it useful, and in part so that I can easily locate it again when I am negotiating my next book contract (hopefully not that long from now). https://lnkd.in/e36J36px

📣 TAA has new guidance for educational authors involved in Bartz v. Anthropic — a landmark $1.5 billion settlement on behalf of those whose work was pirated by AI. The guidance, which was developed in collaboration with attorney Brenda Ulrich, affects authors who are not eligible for the 50/50 default split, or for non-educational authors who chose to opt out of the 50/50 default split. https://lnkd.in/eEeRxZUT #Education #EducationalAuthors #AcademicAuthors #AcademicWriting #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #BartzVAnthropic #Anthropic #Copyright #Piracy #Publishing #ScholarlyPublishing #HigherEd #PublishingLaw #Books #Textbooks #TextbookAuthors #Faculty #Universities

Today, at the London Book Fair, we are proud to support Ed Newton-Rex and The Publishers Association Association to launch the #DontStealThisBook campaign. Inspired by "silent album" protests in the music industry, this "blank book" serves as a stark visual representation of what happens when human creativity is undervalued and exploited by unauthorised AI training. We are standing with nearly 10,000 authors - including Ann Cleeves OBE, Julia Donaldson CBE, Peter James, David Olusoga OBE, Sathnam Sanghera and Lucy Jane Wood - to demand robust copyright protections. As our CEO Joanna Prior puts it: "At Pan Macmillan, we are genuinely curious about how AI can help us innovate and connect our books with new readers. But innovation is not a licence to bypass the people who create the work. Our authors and illustrators are the heartbeat of an £11bn British success story; allowing their work to be taken without permission actively dismantles one of the few industries where the UK truly leads the world. Books are the greatest tool for social mobility ever invented - they are not just 'data' to be harvested for free. The government must ensure AI and tech companies pay for what they take, just like everyone else.” How we are fighting for our creators’ rights: 🏛️ Government lobbying: As active members of the Publishers Association (PA) AI Taskforce and the Creative Rights in AI Coalition, we are lobbying the government to prevent any softening of current copyright regimes. 💬Direct advocacy: We are meeting regularly with Lords and MPs, and we have recently responded to the government’s consultation on copyright both individually and through the PA. 📰Public awareness: We were proud participants in the Make It Fair campaign across all national newspapers and continue to coordinate with industry bodies to ensure our voice is heard in the press. Innovation should empower creators, not replace them. #DontStealThisBook #LondonBookFair #LBF26 #CopyrightMatters #PanMacmillan

I was delighted to receive the judgment delivered on March 19, 2026, by the Court of Justice of the European Union (C-649/23) on the copyright status of critical editions of works in the public domain. At the heart of the case was whether a critical edition—whose purpose is to restore a historical text—can itself qualify as a “work” under Article 2(a) of Directive 2001/29. The Court’s answer: yes—provided it reflects free and creative choices and can be identified with sufficient precision and objectivity. What makes this ruling particularly significant are several clarifications the Court provided regarding originality in critical editions: 1. In the present case, the critical edition does not appear to be merely a transcription, or a facsimile of a manuscript. 2. The commentary and critical apparatus can constitute an intellectual creation. 3. Originality exists unless the editor’s work is dictated solely by technical considerations, rules, or constraints, leaving no room for creative freedom. 4. A critical edition can be identified as a whole with sufficient precision and objectivity. 5. There is no need to separate the original text from the commentary. 6. A critical edition qualifies as a “work” if it reflects the editor’s personality through free and creative choices, and that it can be identified with sufficient precision and objectivity. For researchers, editors, and cultural institutions, this decision brings important clarity and reinforces the value of critical scholarship in preserving and transmitting cultural heritage. #copyright