Creative Rights Groups Urge UK to Launch Smart Fund

Chief executives from four creative rights organizations are urging the Government of the United Kingdom to establish the Smart Fund, a mechanism that would require device manufacturers and importers to pay contributions on hardware used to store or copy creative work. The proposed fund could generate up to £300 million annually to provide support for creators, cultural programs, and affordable workspaces.

Advocates for the fund, including leaders from the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society, the British Equity Collecting Society, the Design and Artists Copyright Society, and PICSEL, argue that authors, visual artists, and audiovisual performers face declining real incomes. They assert that these creators should share in the value their work generates for technology firms.

The demand follows a proposal by the AI firm Anthropic to commit 5% of its shares to a public good fund. The rights organizations argue that AI companies must prioritize paying the creators whose work they utilize before pledging funds to the general public good.