Malaysia music rights group urges lawmakers to enforce AI copyright laws

The Malaysia Music Rights Alliance (MMRA) is calling on lawmakers to tighten copyright laws under the Copyright Act 1987. The group aims to prevent the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) models from exploiting copyrighted music and other creative works without proper consent from rights holders.

As AI technology rapidly advances, the Malaysian music industry believes stronger legal protections are necessary for songwriters, singers, musicians, and producers. MMRA expressed growing concern over the misuse of AI against copyrighted content, particularly the use of music and intellectual property to train AI models without authorization.

MMRA has formally communicated its concerns to the Prime Minister, Ministers of Digital, Communications, and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, as well as the Copyright Controller and the CEO of the National Artificial Intelligence Office. They aim to highlight the current trajectory of AI governance and the urgent need for robust legal safeguards for music and sound recordings.

The alliance supports parliamentary discussions on AI-generated music and offers its industry expertise to lawmakers. MMRA opposes any proposals that would allow AI to mine copyrighted works without permission or compensation for creators. They emphasize that obtaining consent from rights holders must be the foundation for any AI use of copyrighted content, rejecting any exceptions for Text and Data Mining (TDM) within the Copyright Act.

Furthermore, MMRA demands greater transparency and accountability from AI developers, requiring them to maintain detailed records of copyrighted materials used in training datasets. This would enable rights holders to verify usage and enforce their rights. The group also advocates for fair compensation for creators and supports mandatory labeling of AI-generated content, ensuring the public knows whether music is human-created or machine-generated.