Center for Journalism and Liberty at Open Markets Applauds California Assembly’s Passing an AI Copyright Transparency Bill & Calls for More Accountability from AI Companies
Denounces U.S. House Measure to Block States from Legislating on AI
WASHINGTON – The Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute released the following statement from its director, Dr. Courtney Radsch on the California Assembly’s passage of AB 412, the AI Copyright Transparency Act.
“The passage of this legislation marks a critical, if preliminary, step toward holding AI developers accountable to the creators whose work fuels generative AI systems,” said Director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at Open Markets Dr. Courtney Radsch. “But transparency alone is not enough. Placing the burden on creators to detect and challenge misuse in AI shifts the costs of enforcement onto the very people this legislation and copyright itself are meant to protect.”
“By affirming the public’s right to know whether copyright-protected material has been used in training datasets, the bill begins to push back against the culture of opacity that has enabled Big Tech to build empires on uncompensated human creativity. As generative AI becomes more deeply embedded in the information economy, stronger safeguards are needed—ones that require developers to proactively disclose the use of copyrighted materials and respect copyright and licensing frameworks by default.”
“Equally important is California’s right to lead in crafting policy responses to AI that reflect the interests of workers, independent creators, and local communities. Efforts in Congress to impose sweeping federal preemption on state AI laws—like the proposal backed by House Republicans—threaten to erase vital state protections just as they begin to emerge.
“States like California must retain the power to defend their economies and ensure generative AI develops on terms that serve the public interest, not just corporate scale,” said Radsch.
“The AI Copyright Transparency Act is a start, but the path toward a just and sustainable AI economy will require more: enforceable disclosure, meaningful consent, and a regulatory framework that protects the future of human creativity.”
The Center for Journalism and Liberty and its colleagues at the Open Markets Institute have studied extensively policy measures that would ensure AI serves the public interest and protects the liberty of the individual. Learn more in our Expert Brief – AI and Market Concentration and Dr. Radsch’s writing in Tech Policy Press, “The Case for Requiring Explicit Consent from Rights Holders for AI Training.”