Japan Newspaper Association: AI Threatens Copyright with Text-Form Search-Results; Urges Legal Reforms

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:01 JST, July 18, 2024

The Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association released a statement Wednesday concerning generative AI services offered by IT giants such as Google, highlighting the high likelihood of copyright infringement by generated responses that often resemble their articles.

The association urged the IT giants to obtain proper permissions and called on the government to swiftly implement legislative measures, including amendments to copyright laws, to better protect the rights of content creators.

Search-linked services where AI generates text in response to keywords entered into search engines are at the center of the association’s concerns. These services, including Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and Microsoft’s Copilot, are already available to the general public.

There have been multiple suspected instances of articles distributed by news organizations being inappropriately reused and modified by search-linked services, according to the association. While copyright law permits limited use, such as excerpting portions of content in search results, the association noted that many AI-generated responses exceed this scope, providing lengthy answers that often constitute copyright infringement.

The association argued that the continued proliferation of such responses will lead to an increase in zero-click searches, where users are satisfied with the AI-generated responses and do not visit the original websites. This “free-riding” on news content, they claim, could undermine the foundation of democracy and the cultural fabric of society. They called for legislative measures that align with the times.

Furthermore, the association pointed out that AI-generated responses could combine elements from different articles, leading to inaccuracies and misinformation. This could mislead users and harm society. Responsible actions must be taken by service providers, the association said.

Google commented Wednesday that “SGE complies with applicable laws, including copyright laws.” Microsoft also stated that their products and services are provided in compliance with Japanese laws, including copyright laws.