AI, Music, and Copyright: Expert talk marks launch of Leeds’ Technology, Governance and IP Group
Dr Sabine Jacques launches the Technology, Governance and Intellectual Property Law Group with a stimulating talk about the role of copyright law in AI-generated music.
On 6 November 2025, the University of Leeds officially launched its Technology, Governance and Intellectual Property Law Group (TGIPG) with a thought-provoking keynote by Dr Sabine Jacques (University of Liverpool).
Her talk, titled “Who Gets Paid When the Machine Makes Music?”, explored one of the most pressing questions in today’s creative industries: how should copyright law respond to the rise of AI-generated music?
Dr Jacques highlighted the unprecedented role of artificial intelligence in music creation and the existential threat it poses to performing artists and musicians’ livelihoods. She advocated for redistributive justice mechanisms within copyright law, proposing the establishment of an ‘AI-royalty fund’ alongside traditional licensing models.
This approach, she explained, is not merely compensatory but aims to promote industry sustainability congruent with the social welfare principles enshrined in the Council of Europe’s European Social Charter.
Given recent legislative proposals to extend copyright exceptions of text and data mining to AI developers, Dr Jacques’ talk could not be more timely and contemporary.
The event attracted a diverse audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as scholars from the School of Law and across the University of Leeds.
--------------------------------------------------------
If you missed the session, you can watch Dr Jacques’s talk here.
Please contact the group’s founder and co-lead, if you require further information about this group: c.j.ramirez-montes@leeds.ac.uk.
Main image: (from left to right) César Ramirez-Montes, Ioanna Lapatoura, Sabine Jacques (Guest speaker), Andrea Zappalaglio, Igor Szpotakowski, and Rebecca Moosavian
