Ad management firm Mediavine has submitted an official letter to the US Copyright Office, demanding urgent action for more robust copyright protections for content creators in the age of generative AI.

Mediavine, which represents over 17,000 independent digital publishers, has also launched a Change.org petition, urging industry leaders and consumers to join forces in protecting creators from the unchecked use of copyrighted material and the proliferation of AI-generated content.

“Unauthorised use of copyright protected material to train AI models and the increasing prevalence of AI-generated overlays and summaries that displace source content without attribution and/or compensation threaten to eliminate the very voices whose material AI utilises,” the letter reads. “We believe this violates copyright laws and denies just economic compensation to content creators; moreover, it foundationally threatens the future of the Internet itself.”

In the letter, Mediavine urges the US Copyright Office to consider the following positions:

• Clear Credit and Compensation: AI-generated answers that pull from creator content must clearly credit, compensate, and link to the original source.
• No Fair Use for AI Model Training: Training AI on copyright protected content without explicit permission should not be considered fair use, as it disrespects intellectual property rights and undermines economic value.
• Mandated Transparency: Transparency should be mandated across all generative AI systems, requiring platforms and model developers to disclose training data sources, including whether copyright protected content was used.
• Licensing Frameworks: Licensing frameworks must be developed to allow content creators to opt in and be paid for their work, supporting exploration of extended licensing, opt-in registries, or new models that ensure creators are included in the economic benefits generated by AI systems.
• Search Equity and Content Attribution: Search equity and content attribution must be protected.

Mediavine’s letter comes as the US Copyright Office continues to examine AI’s impact on creators on an ongoing basis. In a recently published report, the US Copyright Office found that training AI models on copyrighted works without consent erodes the value of original work and challenges the foundation of copyright law, but ultimately recommended a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to let the market regulate itself.

“Mediavine is leading the charge in building technology and policy solutions to support the ethical use of AI, while defending the visibility, viability, and rights of the people behind the content,” said Eric Hochberger, Founder & CEO of Mediavine. “There’s no time for a wait-and-see approach when the stakes are this high. We welcome further dialogue with the US Copyright Office and will continue to fiercely advocate on behalf of our publishers and content creators.”

While Mediavine supports the responsible use of generative AI, the company says it is committed to defending the rights of publishers and preserving the integrity of the free and open Internet. The company is continuing to actively engage with policymakers and industry groups to push for fair licensing, combat content devaluation by AI, and build tools that enhance human creativity—not replace it.

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Categories: AI, Articles, Business, Content, Policy, Production, Regulation, Rights

Tags: AI, Mediavine, US Copyright Office