Newspaper Body Submits Public Comment to Government; Requests Creation of Legal Framework to Fit Age of Generative AI

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:00 JST, December 19, 2024

The Japan Newspaper Publishers and Editors Association submitted a letter of opinion on Wednesday in response to the Cabinet Office’s request for public comment on the government’s “Intellectual Property Strategic Program 2025,” which will be formulated next year. The letter states that “new laws should be developed to correspond to the era of generative Artificial Intelligence.”

The “Intellectual Property Strategic Program 2024,” approved in June, clearly states that “it is necessary for a wide range of parties involved in generative AI to work together in a flexible manner, combining legal, technological, and contractual means in an appropriate manner” to protect intellectual property from AI.

In response to this, the opinion letter noted that “it is difficult to say that these methods are functioning under the current circumstances.” Regarding the current legal system, it is “hard to say that it is in accordance with the generative AI era,” and urged that “a new legal framework, including revisions to the Copyright Law, should be proposed.”

In addition, the association pointed out that unregulated data collection and learning by AI “undeniably facilitate the transmission of false and erroneous information,” and urged that high-quality data be used for AI development, with the consent of rights holders.