The Copyright Licensing Agency approves inclusion of workplace AI permissions to corporate and public sector licences
The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) has approved the inclusion of new workplace Artificial Intelligence (AI) permissions to its business and public sector licences.
The extended permissions recognise the growing use of generative AI tools in the workplace and will permit the use of published content as prompts on paid-for enterprise versions of generative AI platforms such as CoPilot, ChatGPT and Gemini for internal uses only. Rights relating to any training, including that of large language models are not included and are being consulted on separately.
The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) is a not-for-profit organisation that ensures creators and rightsholders are fairly compensated when their works are used by distributing revenues back into the creative industries from licences. A CLA Licence offers blanket permission for organisations to copy content from books, journals, magazines, or websites, reducing the risk of legal action for copyright infringement. DACS is a Member of the CLA and revenue from the CLA is distributed to DACS members by our Payback scheme.
DACS will continue to advocate and ensure for fair pay and control over rights for visual artists and creators and will work with the CLA on how the new workplace AI permissions will be rolled out.
These new permissions will cover employees in licensed businesses looking to copy or use published content as a prompt or input as part of their work. For example, if an employee copies and pastes an article or report into a generative AI tool to generate insights and trends to help make a strategic decision.
These licences are a meaningful extension to the CLA licences already in place and through which visual creators can receive an annual payment for the reuse of their works in published works. The inclusion of visual works in these licences is a first step in the right direction to send a clear sign that copyright protected material needs to be licensed and remunerated if used in any shape or form for AI.
DACS Chief Executive
Key features of these new permissions:
- Make copies for prompting generative AI tools
- Use outputs for internal purposes
- Use outputs for limited external purposes
DACS is committed to ensuring visual creators are paid fairly as AI technology develops. Last year, DACS surveyed its members on new workplace AI licences proposed by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) from which DACS receives revenue distributed through Payback. These licences will allow published content to be used as prompts on paid-for enterprise versions of generative AI platforms for internal uses only. Rights relating to any training, including that of large language models are not included and are being consulted on separately.
Members showed clear support for the idea, giving DACS the mandate to back it. The licences will launch this year, with royalties distributed to claimants via Payback from 2026. This is a key step forward in protecting creators’ rights in the age of AI.
Read more
- How DACS advocates for artists' rights
- Artificial Intelligence and Artists
- Payback 2025 opens on 6 January, register to claim for royalties
