Copyright in the Digital Age
Understand how copyright law applies to your creative work in an era of AI and digital replication.
The Issue
Existing copyright, labor, and technology laws fail to address the realities of digital creation, leaving creators without adequate protection or recourse against exploitation. The rapid advancement of generative AI created an urgent need for updated frameworks, but law has not kept pace.
How This Plays Out Across Disciplines
- Visual artists: copyright law struggling with AI-generated art that mimics specific artistic styles without permission
- Developers: code licensing frameworks insufficient for AI training usage; employment law gaps for freelance developers
- Researchers: fair use doctrine unclear for AI training; academic attribution systems bypassed by automated generation
- Designers: industrial design patents inadequate for protecting against AI-generated derivative works
- Video creators and voice artists: voice and likeness rights insufficient for protecting against deepfake and AI replication technologies
- Blockchain creators: lacking legal frameworks for intellectual property protection in decentralized systems
What the Law Currently Says
What is established from the Declaration: “Traditional siloed approaches to creator advocacy have proven insufficient against the scale and speed of technological change” and “the rapid advancement of generative AI in 2022-2024 created an urgent need for a unified creator response across disciplines.”
What Save The Creators Advocates For
STC demands copyright frameworks that address the realities of digital creation and AI, balancing protection for creators with the need for cultural exchange and creative innovation.
Specific Actions We Demand
- Recognition of AI training as a distinct usage requiring permission
- Simplified licensing frameworks for digital collaboration
- International harmonization of creator rights protections
Declaration Principle: Creator Sovereignty
“Creators must maintain control over their work and how it's used. Creators must maintain control over how their work, likeness, voice, and intellectual identity are used in digital spaces. We defend the right of all creators to determine how their creative expressions and personal attributes are utilized.”
What Creators Can Do Right Now
What STC Is Building
- Technological and legal frameworks that give creators control over their complete creative identity
- Consent management systems extending beyond the limits of copyright
Demand Updated Copyright Protections
Sign the Declaration for Creators and join the movement demanding copyright frameworks that work in the digital age.