Australia’s ABC says AI firms can negotiate licences
Australia’s ABC says current copyright law is adequate for AI licensing and rejects the idea that negotiating content deals is too difficult. It also argues that an opt-out system would place an impractical burden on rights holders.
Key takeaways · 4
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The ABC says AI companies can negotiate with rights holders for the licences they need.
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The ABC says current copyright law is fit for purpose and adequate for AI-related business.
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Media reports say the Australian government is considering an opt-out clause that would allow access unless a rights holder objects.
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The ABC says it has no conclusive evidence of scraping, though it considers scraping likely.
The ABC argues licensing is workable
The ABC rejected the suggestion that it is too difficult for AI companies to negotiate content-licensing deals.[1] It said AI can negotiate with rights holders for relevant licences it needs.[1] The ABC also said current laws are fit for purpose, describing the copyright system as completely adequate to manage the business of AI.[1] The ABC said current laws were fit for purpose.[1]
The proposed opt-out raises a burden question
Media reports said the Australian government was considering an opt-out clause under which AI companies could access content unless a rights holder objected.[1] Gilchrist said that approach would put the burden on rights holders.[1] He added that rights holders could not search the whole internet to opt out on every site.[1] For organisations assessing the proposal, the key distinction is between negotiating licences for selected material and having to locate and exclude content across online services.[1]
Scraping remains unconfirmed by the ABC
The ABC said AI companies had probably already scraped its material to train models.[1] Gilchrist qualified that view by saying the ABC had no conclusive evidence that its material had been scraped, although he thought it likely.[1] That distinction matters: the ABC expressed a belief, not a confirmed finding about its content.[1] The evidence provided does not establish which AI companies may have used ABC material or what material, if any, was included in training.[1]
People and inquiry context
The company said it had no plan to replace humans, while Sutton said particular contexts in programme making might make that necessary.[1] The ABC also said there was no plan to recreate its newsreaders or similar roles.[1] OpenAI and Anthropic representatives were scheduled to appear at the same inquiry later on Tuesday.[1] The Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence was one of at least four Australian state and federal inquiries into AI.[1] OpenAI and Anthropic had called for Australian copyright laws to be relaxed to access domestically produced content.[1]
For professionals managing content rights, the debate turns on who must take action: AI companies seeking licences, or rights holders opting out of access. Teams should distinguish the ABC’s view and unconfirmed scraping concern from confirmed findings, and track whether the government’s reported proposal advances.
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6 October 2026
Australia’s ABC says AI firms can negotiate licences