Here's hoping - the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act of 2025 (VACRA), “ensuring that professional creators can afford to register all their works.”..and allowing registrations to occur “without regard to publication status, date of publication, or date of creation tinyurl.com/53e4ch34

97% oppose Big Tech AI - HMG's consultation concedes “only 3% of people backed the government’s initial preferred tech company-friendly option, which was to require artists and copyright holders to actively opt out of having their material fed into data-hungry AI systems”: tinyurl.com/5ehun6yt

@bsky.app Major changes to what had been a UK surrender to Silicon Valley. According to HMG we will - probably - now get paid for AI use of our photographs. But still silent on our right to insist on prior consent ( aka Copyright ): www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The Competition Markets Authority investigates Getty/Shutterstock merger - the CMA is "concerned the deal may lead to higher prices, worse commercial terms and/or lower quality provision of editorial and stock imagery" - GettyStock (?) great threat to suppliers (photographers): tinyurl.com/y58w6kwd

Lawrence Lessig, the man who brought you Creative Commons, wants copyright protection for AI works - forget all that stuff about the originality of human authorship: tinyurl.com/3tn5w9mp

Australia shows the way, defies Silicon valley, rejects copyright exceptions for AI training: tinyurl.com/je24rp5w

Here's why we should never agree to our photographs being used by Generative AI: petapixel.com/2025/10/21/a...

As for yesterday's statement reflecting "the collective position of AOI, AOP, DACS, PICSEL, and the creators we represent" they certainly do not represent me. Not in my name. Good it's not in the name of the NUJ either. Not one word about the ethics of selling our pictures to the GAI lie factories.

@bsky.app The C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) campaign for truth and authenticity in news media finally begins to work - Paul Melcher’s blog: tinyurl.com/9yzhnety

RIP Brian Harris, one of the finest of a fast vanishing generation. Here's an iPhone clip of Brian launching his book ( vimeo doesn't like playing this on Bluesky but should work if you click this link ) : vimeo.com/168529881

Italy bans text and data mining! “The rules also limit text and data mining to content that is either non-copyrighted or part of authorized scientific research.” www.digitalinformationworld.com/2025/09/ital...

tinyurl.com/y6km2j2c Afghan interpreters who worked with British troops at Afghan Human Rights Foundation demand protection for those still awaiting their fate in Afghanistan. London August 2021.

Thelma Ruby, now 100 years old, actress and widow of International Brigader Peter Frye, sings The Internationale at the annual commemoration of the 2,500 British and Irish International Brigaders who fought in the Spanish Civil War, of whom 526 were killed. London 5.7.2025.

Singing The Internationale at the annual commemoration of the 2,500 British and Irish International Brigaders who fought in the Spanish Civil War, of whom 526 were killed. London 5.7.2025.

Just in case anyone thinks AI theft ain't serious: pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/go...

Baroness Kidron does it yet again today, defeating Peter Kyle in the House of Lords - 242 votes to 116.

Baroness Kidron does it again. HMG simply put her last AI amendment carried overwhelmingly by the Lords straight into the bin. So today here we go again, Kidron has just won, again, peers backed her revised amendmen by 287 votes to 118.

Baroness Kidron defeated the UK government’s AI policy in the Lords with an amendment passed by an overwhelming majority. Today the government used its overwhelming Commons majority to simply bin it. Utter contempt for creators. Did your MP vote for this?

Baroness Kidron defeated the government’s AI plans tonight in the Lords - 272 votes to 125

Would you believe it? Gordon Brown: "it also demands that we champion a pro-competition regime that does not favour the tech giants at the expense of their smaller UK competitors, or dilute copyright and intellectual property laws so vital to creative talent" tinyurl.com/yxue7cur

The government is preparing to rip up copyright law so AI developers can thieve our rights. According to today's Guardian: A government spokesperson said the “status quo” in copyright was “holding back the creative industries, media, and AI sector from reaching their full potential”.

35th anniversary of the poll tax riots. Time flies. I prepared this set fo the 30th: tinyurl.com/vckfxhah

What on earth is a Labour government doing giving in to the powerful while letting the robber barons loose on the weak and defenceless? One music industry insider consulted on the proposals said…….“The idea of tearing up copyright law for some sectors but not for others is frankly a nonsense.”

”Faced with a concerted backlash from some of the country’s most famous celebrities,officials are looking for ways to offer them extra protections.. allow creative industries to opt in .. while offering AI companies the use of mass media such as journalism for free unless those companies opted out.”

That AI Consultation - Plan B - divide and rule. The Guardian - “Abandoning the plans altogether is not seen as an option as it would put British AI companies at a disadvantage, but there are ways to protect certain sectors which are particularly important”……certain sectors? Writers? Photographers?

"the greatest heist in history" tinyurl.com/3mpwnybd

Launch of the Make It Fair campaign - front pages on the last day of the Consultation on Copyright and AI. “The government wants to ...favour big tech platforms so they can use British creative content ... without our permission or payment. Let’s protect the creative industries — it’s only fair,”

tinyurl.com/34xeahwa It’s just possible data protection will throw a spanner in the AI works - here’s hoping

The Lords vote down government plans for AI - peers backed a package of amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill - Baroness Kidron said they would counter “the widespread theft of IP by AI companies who use it as raw material for their products”. grahamlovelace.substack.com/p/uk-governm...

“There is a suggestion that photographers might have to seek an opt-out for every picture they have ever taken. Now, I hope that is not the case, but a lot of uncertainty has been created” - John Whittingdale in Parliament on the absurdity of the governments’ proposed AI theft with opt-out scheme.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, 20.6.1928 - 7.1.2025, of the French National Front here seen chased out of Manchester after meeting with the British National Party's Nick Griffin. tinyurl.com/2p9ns97e

This is the week to hit them - the government is making its big AI launch this week. The AI 'Consultation' ( they've already reached their conclusions ) ends February 25th.

And here's the Creative Rights in AI Coalition template ( editable ) for writing to your MP: creativerightsinai.eaction.org.uk/MP/search

Major AI threat to UK photographers, BPPA statement here: thebppa.com/the-bppa-joi...