By https://www.abc.net.au/news/clare-armstrong/105969816
Publication Date: 2026-03-04 20:21:00
Australian artists are calling on the federal government to “hold its nerve” as they fear Big Tech is again looking to weaken copyright protections for artists.
Copyright advocates have warned the threat is not over, despite Labor announcing last year it would not allow artificial intelligence companies to freely train their models in Australian music, writing, film and art.
Chris Maund, co-chief executive of Mushroom Music, told the ABC the government must not give in on copyright.
“You did the right thing by artists and this country and those of us who invest in them, so hold your nerve,” he said.
“Big tech companies believe that music is made of data – zeros, ones and patterns. That’s not the case.”
“They are the fruits of people’s hard work. Once you have trained your models with it, you have to pay for it.“
The government ruled out an exemption for text and data mining for AI in October, saying it remains committed to that position.
Mr Maund said there was an existing licensing market where large…
