Chile’s National Press Association has urged the government and Congress to pull a copyright clause from a broad reconstruction bill, warning that it would let third parties use vast amounts of text, audio and images without paying rights holders. The group says the measure, tucked into Article 8 of the National Reconstruction and Social Economic Development Bill, would create an unusually wide exception for automated data extraction and analysis, a practice known as text and data mining. According to the ANP, the proposal closely mirrors language from a previous artificial intelligence bill that was later pared back and then rejected in the lower house over concerns that it damaged copyright protection.

In its statement, the ANP argued that the issue is too consequential for a miscellaneous bill whose stated purpose is economic reconstruction, tax reform and permitting changes. It said the proposed rule would affect journalism directly because newspapers, reports, commentary, photographs and graphics could all fall within the exception if they are used for statistical analysis or to train automated systems. El Mostrador reported that the association sees the plan as a threat to the financial basis of journalism, while The Clinic noted that it has accused the government of reproducing a provision already rejected in the earlier AI debate.

The association also warned that the drafting would leave media companies with little practical protection against large technology firms. It said the final wording, which refers to uses that are not a disguised form of exploitation, is too vague to provide clear limits and would push rights holders into costly disputes. The ANP added that international practice is moving in the opposite direction, with major publishers striking licensing deals with AI companies and collective management arrangements increasingly recognising AI-related uses as payable.

The ANP said it wants the clause withdrawn entirely, or at minimum narrowed so that journalistic material is excluded and any exception is confined to non-profit scientific research, with an explicit opt-out for rights holders. The group, which says it has represented Chilean press outlets for more than seven decades, said it remains willing to help shape rules that balance technological innovation with the protection of editorial work.

Source Reference Map

Inspired by headline at: [1]

Sources by paragraph:

Source: Noah Wire Services