Protecting Artists and Creatives: The COPIED Act
In an effort to safeguard the work of artists and other creatives, the U.S. Senate has introduced the Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act (COPIED Act). This new legislation aims to establish stricter authentication measures for digital content and make the removal or tampering of watermarks illegal. The Verge reports that the bill would enforce new AI standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
One of the key requirements of the COPIED Act is that generative AI developers must include content provenance information, such as watermarks, in their outputs. Alternatively, individuals should have the ability to attach such information themselves. This standardized access to provenance information could greatly assist in detecting synthetic, AI-generated content like deepfakes. Additionally, it could help curb the unauthorized use of data and intellectual property.
To ensure compliance, the bill would authorize both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce the new regulations. This would empower regulators to take action against those who violate the requirements set forth by the COPIED Act.
The introduction of this legislation could have significant implications for artists, musicians, journalists, and other creators. It offers a regulatory pathway to prevent their original works from being included in data sets used to train AI models. This has become an increasingly important issue, particularly with recent collaborations between AI giants like OpenAI and media companies.
Several prominent organizations have expressed their support for the COPIED Act. Groups such as SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists), the Recording Industry Association of America, the News/Media Alliance, and the Artist Rights Alliance believe that a transparent and accountable supply chain for generative AI is necessary to protect individuals’ rights to control the use of their face, voice, and persona. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the national executive director of SAG-AFTRA, emphasizes the importance of this legislation in establishing a legal framework that allows creatives and media owners to set terms for content use and seek recourse if their work is used without consent or proper attribution.
If the COPIED Act is passed, it would provide creatives and media owners with an easier path to protect their work and ensure that their terms of use are respected. It would also establish a legal pathway to address cases where content is used without consent or attribution. By implementing more stringent authentication measures and discouraging the removal or tampering of watermarks, this legislation seeks to strike a balance between fostering creativity and protecting the rights of artists and other creatives.