One Nation, One Licence, One Payment: Mandatory blanket licence for AI training with statutory royalty to creators

Key facts

• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)-led committee proposes a mandatory blanket licence requiring all AI companies to pay royalties for using copyrighted work.
• Royalty rates will be fixed by a government-appointed committee and collected through a single collective body formed by copyright holders named Copyright Royalties Collective for AI Training (CRCAT).
• The obligation to pay royalties shall apply retroactively to AI developers who have already trained models on copyrighted content and are earning revenues.