India’s top creative industry bodies — including the Motion Picture Association (MPA), Film Federation of India (FFI), Indian Music Industry (IMI), Producers Guild of India (PGI), Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation and Indian Singers and Musicians Rights Association — have raised concerns over proposed changes to copyright laws in India’s upcoming AI policy.
At a series of roundtables held in Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad, representatives from film, music, publishing and broadcasting industries urged the government to not dilute copyright protections in favour of AI companies.
The discussions come amid a proposal by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to allow AI firms access to copyrighted content for training at government-fixed rates. Industry leaders opposed this move, warning it could undermine creators’ rights and revenues.
Instead, they called for AI regulations to be built on three key principles: consent, voluntary licensing, and strong enforcement.
A whitepaper by Koan Advisory and Creative First highlighted that Indian filmmakers are already using AI tools responsibly, without compromising creativity. Speakers at the event stressed that AI and copyright are not in conflict, but weakening copyright could harm jobs, investments and the future of India’s creative economy — a sector worth ₹2.78 trillion and employing millions.