PRESS RELEASE: 17 December 2025
We, holders of copyright and related rights in the graphic and plastic arts, audiovisual, film, book, music and press sectors, welcome the initiative of the co-rapporteurs of the IA and Creation report, Laure Darcos, Agnès Evren and Pierre Ouzoulias, the Chair of the Culture Committee Laurent Lafon, and the co-rapporteurs of the policy opinion on the Code of Best Practices for AI, Catherine Morin Desailly and Karine Daniel, who are submitting a bill to the Senate Bureau on the establishment of a presumption of exploitation of cultural content by AI providers.
This submission is fully in line with the impetus given by the Minister for Culture, Rachida Dati, since her arrival at Rue de Valois in terms of defending copyright and related rights, by implementing one of the main recommendations of the mission entrusted by the Higher Council for Literary and Artistic Property to Professor Alexandra Bensamoun on the remuneration of cultural content used by artificial intelligence systems (legal aspect).
The creation of a legal presumption of exploitation of content protected by AI systems is a tool aimed at enforcing copyright and related rights in the face of the opacity practised by these systems. Despite a harmonised framework, these systems continue to harvest digital data, including protected content, most often without authorisation or remuneration from their owners, exposing the latter to a high risk of upstream infringement (at the input stage) and downstream substitution (at the output stage).
We cannot allow these practices to threaten creation and its value chain. In this context, and based on the model of the numerous presumptions contained in our law, this bill lightens the burden of proof for the exploitation of protected content, allowing rights holders to present facts and evidence that make it plausible. As the authors of this bill indicate, its objective is to rebalance the power relationship between the creative sectors and tech players. The primary desired effect of strengthening our legislative arsenal is to contribute to compliance with AI regulations, in particular by facilitating the development of a licensing market, whether through individual management agreements or voluntary collective management.
This initiative reflects a strong political commitment to finding a solution to a deadlocked situation that is undermining the creative sector, regardless of whether the models in question are European, Chinese or American. It also provides a response to the risk that inaction ultimately poses to the performance of these models.
Signatories: ADAGP - Society of Authors in the Graphic and Plastic Arts ADAMI - Collective management organisation for performers' rights APIG - Alliance of the general news press DVP - Related Rights of the Press EUROCINEMA - Association of Film and Television Producers FNPS - National Federation of Specialised News Media LaFA - Audiovisual Industry LaSCAM - Civil Society of Multimedia Authors PROCIREP - Society of Film and Television Producers SACD - Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers SACEM - Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers SEPM - Union of Magazine Publishers SNAC - National Union of Authors and Composers SNE - National Union of Publishers SNEP - National Union of Phonographic Publishers SPIIL - Independent Online News Press Unio
The original French version of this press release is available to download above.