Belgium Rejects EU AI Code of Conduct Over Copyright Concerns
Brussels, The Gulf Observer: Belgium has voted against the European Union’s proposed Code of Conduct for General-Purpose AI models, citing insufficient protections for copyright holders, Federal Minister of Digitalisation Vanessa Matz (Les Engagés) confirmed
The non-binding Code of Conduct is intended to guide the implementation of the EU AI Act, a landmark legislative framework for artificial intelligence which will partially come into force on Saturday. The AI Act introduces transparency obligations, copyright protections, and ethical development standards for general-purpose AI models, including large generative models capable of performing a range of tasks.
While the AI Act contains binding legal provisions, the accompanying Code of Conduct was designed to further support implementation through voluntary commitments by AI developers. However, Belgium expressed concerns that the Code does not go far enough in safeguarding the rights of authors and creators.
“Belgium voted against the Code because the text provides too few guarantees for copyright protection,” said Minister Matz. “The stronger the commitments in the Code, the stronger the position of authors, which is a priority for our country.”
During deliberations within the EU’s AI Board, where all member states are represented, Belgium submitted several proposals aimed at enhancing copyright safeguards. These included simplifying the opt-out mechanism for rights holders, ensuring fair compensation, and prohibiting the training of AI models using content sourced from illegal websites, even in non-commercial contexts.
While some improvements were made to the original draft, Belgium maintains that the final version of the Code, which was approved and published by the European Commission, remains inadequate.
“This is not the end of the process,” said Matz, adding that Belgium and other concerned member states have urged the Commission to consider a sooner-than-scheduled evaluation and revision of the Code. “I will continue to work with relevant services to ensure that AI models fully take into account the interests of journalists, publishers, producers, and creators.”
According to the European Commission, 26 companies, including Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI (the creator of ChatGPT), have signed the Code of Conduct. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, notably declined to sign, citing concerns about increased legal uncertainty.
The European Commission has warned that companies opting out of the Code and seeking compliance by other means may face greater regulatory scrutiny.
