EU delays AI Act enforcement, drawing fire from writers' groups over copyright protections
The European Writers' Council said a provisional agreement to postpone key provisions of the AI Act until August 2028 threatens author rights and favors large tech companies over European creators.
The delay affects security and high-risk AI use cases originally scheduled to take effect in August 2026. The postponement came as part of the Digital Omnibus on AI package, which the European Commission framed as "simplification" when it proposed the measures in November 2025.
What the writers' council opposes
The EWC represents 250,000 writers and translators across 52 organizations in 34 countries. The group said the agreement perpetuates violations of author rights by allowing large tech companies to use copyrighted works for training generative AI systems without explicit permission, payment, or transparency.
The council identified three specific violations it calls the ART principle:
- Authorisation - requiring companies to ask authors before using their work
- Remuneration - paying authors for authorized uses
- Transparency - disclosing when European works train non-European AI products
The EWC said the agreement exempts large technology companies from these requirements.
The core disagreement
EU officials argued the delay allows time to improve technical tools for detecting AI-generated content and labeling manipulated material. The EWC countered that technical limitations should prompt investment in better tools, not postponement of legal protections.
The council said the need to clarify certain aspects of the AI Act should not delay its implementation. Instead, legislators should prioritize legal certainty for authors, publishers, and other rightsholders.
The European Parliament passed a resolution in March calling for clarity on text and data mining exceptions and full transparency around European works used to develop foreign AI systems. The EWC said the provisional agreement moves in the opposite direction.
Broader concerns about the process
The EWC criticized the lack of inclusive public consultations with affected stakeholders and the absence of thorough impact assessments before the agreement was reached.
The council acknowledged some measures in the agreement as positive, including an EU ban on AI-generated nudifiers and AI-enabled creation of child sexual abuse material.
The provisional agreement still requires approval by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU before taking effect.
Writers interested in understanding how AI affects their work and rights can explore the technical and policy dimensions of generative AI and large language models.
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