Federation of European Publishers Responds to Parliament's AI Copyright Vote

Federation of European Publishers (FEP) has responded to the European Parliament's adoption on 10 March 2026 of a non-legislative report on artificial intelligence and copyright — one of the most significant European-level interventions on the topic to date, passed by 460 votes to 71 with 88 abstentions.

The FEP noted the adoption of the report, which calls on the European Commission to take targeted legislative action to address the use of copyrighted works in the training of generative AI systems. Drafted by MEP Axel Voss, the report calls for stronger licensing obligations on AI developers, enhanced transparency around training data, and fairer remuneration mechanisms for creators and publishers whose work has been used without consent or compensation.

Among the report's key proposals is a requirement for AI providers to provide an itemised list of all copyright-protected content used in training, as well as support for collective licensing markets. The Parliament also called for the Commission to act swiftly, given the forthcoming review of the 2019 Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market.

On 6 March, the FEP had also welcomed the launch of new EU guidelines for teachers and educators on digital education content, describing the guidelines — produced by the European Commission — as a positive development for the publishing sector's role in education.

The vote builds on months of advocacy by European publishing associations and creative industry federations who have been pressing for enforceable rules that level the playing field between rights holders and AI developers.