Every song that stirs emotion, every melody that moves us, and every beat that brings people together begins with one thing: human creativity. World Intellectual Property Day 2025, hosted by the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) has set this year’s theme as “IP and Music: Feel the Beat of IP”. It invites us to celebrate the creators behind the music – and to recognise the intellectual property (IP) rights that enable their craft.

But in 2025, as we honour and celebrate the power of music, we must also sound the alarm: the future of creative industries and its plethora of diverse talent is under threat.

The rise of generative AI has made it possible to mine, mimic, and monetise human-made music without permission. These tangible threats are also being witnessed across many of the creative industries including publishing, games, design, visual arts, authors as well as music, to name but a few. The UK Government recently closed a major consultation on Copyright and AI, receiving over 11,000 responses, unprecedented in the world of IP consultation. A clear signal that creators, rights holders, and organisations across the UK are deeply concerned.

Alliance for IP submission to the Copyright & AI Consultation.

ACID’s submission to the Copyright & AI Consultation.

The message was loud and clear:

Protect the creator. Not the copier.

At Anti Copying in Design (ACID), we stand with all creators calling for fair, robust copyright laws that respect human authorship and safeguard creative integrity in a rapidly evolving digital age.

Why IP Rights Matter in Music and in other creative rights sectors

• Music is a universal language, and IP rights keep that language alive by ensuring creators are fairly compensated.
• Copyright fosters innovation by giving musicians and their publishers the legal tools to protect, share, and license their work.
• IP rights enable cross-sector synergies, powering industries from film and fashion to video games and tech, with music at their core.
• Music inspires, unites, and drives change. On World IP Day, we celebrate those whose creativity shapes our cultural landscape.
• Musicians stand united in support of all creatives who should be able to rely on transparency, safeguards, and recompense for the use of their work by generated AI (GAI), many of whom are unchecked and use the copyright of others without permission.

AI & Copyright: A Defining Moment

As AI becomes more advanced, it is increasingly capable of replicating musical styles, voices, and even entire songs – often using existing copyright works to train these tools without creator consent. This is a tipping point.

Without strong policies, creators could be left without control, credit, or compensation for the very work that fuels the music economy.

That’s why it’s vital the UK Government makes the right choice as it reviews the consultation findings for all content creators. Fair copyright policy must:

• Recognise and protect human authorship
• Ensure AI developers seek permission and pay fair licence fees
• Prevent the unauthorised use of copyright works for machine learning

What You Can Do

• Keep the pressure on: Now that the consultation is closed, we must keep speaking out.
• Share this message: Join us on social media to amplify the call for stronger protection and remuneration from use in AI training models. Download our graphic and share on socials.
• Write to your MP: Ask them to back all creators in the fight for a fairer framework against AI training models. Download our template letter to send to your MP.

Together, let’s make World IP Day 2025, not only a celebration about music, but – but more than that, let’s protect the people who make it and the thousands of other talented, creative humans in this diverse space.

Feel the beat. Protect the creator.

You can read more about music and IP at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Pledge your commitment to IP respect, ethics and compliance in design, including copyright and AI – SIGN OUR IP CHARTER NOW!