# 63 media groups oppose Australia's AI training opt-out plan

Published: 2026-10-21T02:49:08.932Z · Source: News/Media Alliance (https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/australia-coalition-copyright-letter/)
Source date: 2026-10-20
Flags: single-source — confirmation pending

A coalition of 63 international media organizations — including the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, News Media Europe and WAN-IFRA, plus groups from Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Italy — sent a letter to Australian lawmakers on Oct. 20 opposing a proposed copyright change, led by the News/Media Alliance. The letter describes the proposal as a "statutory pool" that would let AI companies train on copyrighted material by default, requiring rights holders to opt out to keep their work protected — reversing the country's current permission-first rule, per the alliance. The release names neither the specific bill nor which Australian politicians received the letter.

Why it matters: An opt-out licensing model for AI training in Australia would shift the default from permission-first to AI-first, a template other governments weighing similar rules could point to.

## What this answers

**Is Australia planning to change its AI copyright rules?**

Australia is weighing a proposal that would let AI companies train on copyrighted material by default under a “statutory pool” license, which 63 international media organizations opposed in an Oct. 20, 2026 letter, per the News/Media Alliance.

**Who is opposing Australia's AI training copyright plan?**

A coalition of 63 international media organizations — including the Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, News Media Europe and WAN-IFRA — led by the News/Media Alliance.


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