At an FTC open commission meeting on Thursday, Chamber of Progress pushed back on recent AI and copyright comments from the FTC, which alleged new agency authority to set and enforce copyright policy. 

In response to the U.S. Copyright Office’s request for comment on AI copyright policy, the FTC responded last week that misuse of copyrighted materials could be deemed unfair per Section 5 of the FTC Act, and further that behavior consistent with copyright law might still violate Section 5.

In remarks at the FTC’s commission meeting, Chamber of Progress responded that the FTC’s position is an overreach of the agency’s mission and misinterprets fair use in a way that harms competition and consumer choice. Read Chamber of Progress’s full comments to the FTC here.

From Chamber of Progress’s comments to the FTC:

“The doctrine of fair use closely aligns with the FTC’s goal to encourage competition and consumer choice. It avoids the monopolization of creative ideas, fostering a conducive environment for innovation and emerging talents. Yet, the FTC’s suggestion of a content-licensing regime for AI training data will disproportionately benefit established entities, potentially hindering new entrants and, consequently, detrimentally impacting consumer welfare.”

The full video of the November 16 FTC open commission meeting is available here.

Chamber of Progress also submitted its own comments to the U.S. Copyright Office earlier this month, available here. 

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.