Protecting Indian Cinema from AI Misuse
Hollywood and Bollywood are currently engaged in a crucial dialogue with an Indian panel regarding the protection of their intellectual property from artificial intelligence (AI) misuse. These film industries are alarmed that AI could potentially scrape their copyrighted materials, such as films, trailers, and images, to train models unlawfully. The global landscape of copyright regulations varies significantly, with countries like Japan offering broad exemptions to AI firms, while the European Union enforces stricter rules allowing creators to opt out of such utilization.
India's existing copyright law does not take AI usage into account, leading to concerns among content creators. Recognizing this gap, the Indian government established a panel this year comprised of lawyers, officials, and industry leaders to assess whether current laws are adequate for addressing disputes related to AI. The panel is tasked with drafting recommendations that will be presented to senior officials soon.
The Motion Picture Association (MPA), which represents major studios like Warner Bros and Netflix, alongside the Producers Guild of India, argues against altering India’s copyright law. They advocate for a licensing regime that can provide fair compensation for creators. Uday Singh, MPA India’s Managing Director, expressed concerns that allowing blanket training exceptions might undermine the incentive for new creations and weaken copyright protections in India.
Nitin Tej Ahuja, CEO of the Indian guild, reiterated the importance of licensing copyrighted works for the revenue and sustainability of creators’ businesses. Meanwhile, the panel’s chair, Himani Pande from the commerce ministry, has not commented on these discussions, leaving many in the industry anxious about the outcome.
India boasts one of the world's most dynamic film industries, contributing $13.1 billion in revenues last year, with an annual growth rate of 18% since 2019. This ongoing debate is accentuated by a recent legal dispute involving a Bollywood couple challenging YouTube’s AI policies after manipulated versions of their videos circulated online.
In stark contrast to the film studios’ stance, the Business Software Alliance, which represents AI companies like OpenAI, has advocated for exceptions to allow lawful AI usage. However, MPA members remain skeptical, fearing that such exceptions would shift the responsibility onto the studios, compelling them to monitor and restrict the use of their content across multiple AI platforms.
The association warns that allowing these exceptions could hinder future investments and the development of high-quality local content. The ongoing legal battles in the United States, where Warner Bros has sued AI service Midjourney for allegedly stealing its copyrighted characters, highlight the growing tensions between content creators and AI firms globally.
