The Latest on Writing and Publishing in Canada
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | INTERNATIONAL | LIBRARIES | MARKET STATS |
ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE
Industry Canada Consults on Questions of AI Regulation and Copyright
Throughout the late fall of 2023 the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (Industry) held online roundtable discussions concerning Copyright in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence. The Writers’ Union of Canada took part in those discussions and was one of many writing and publishing sector organizations to enter a formal submission to the consultation by its January 15 deadline. The Union’s position is that the use of creative work in AI training requires permission and compensation through collective licensing, and that AI outputs without significant human creativity must not be eligible for copyright protection, and cannot be permitted to infringe on the economic and moral rights of human authors.
AI Firms Push Back on Legal Challenges
The number of lawsuits aimed at artificial intelligence training and output engines increased over the winter, as The New York Times launched a challenge against OpenAI and parent-company Microsoft, claiming millions of NYTimes articles were used in AI training without permission. Meanwhile in testimony to the British House of Lords, OpenAI claimed “it would be impossible to train today’s leading AI models without using copyrighted materials.” And generative AI firm Anthropic, whose product creates musical outputs, pushed back at record label legal action, claiming the traditional music companies had engaged in “volitional conduct” by prompting the engine to create songs from their copyright-protected materials. The Writers’ Union of Canada continues to examine legal remedies for Canadian authors around the training of AI.
INTERNATIONAL
U.K. Authors, Publishers, and Booksellers Refocus on Climate and Environment
The Society of Authors in London last year launched a program called Tree to Me, aimed at helping authors talk and negotiate with their publishers about the environmental sustainability of their own books. Authors are provided a set of 10 questions to ask their publisher about their environment-focused policies and activities. The first question is whether or not the publisher has signed onto Publishing Declares, a three-year-old industry drive to set “ambitious, measurable targets across our own operations and extended supply chain to achieve net zero [carbon emissions] as soon as possible and by 2050 at the latest.” A 2020 BookNet survey of Canadian publishers showed promising numbers engaged in some sustainable practices, including carbon offsets and Forest Stewardship Council certification. Canadian authors are encouraged to use the SofA’s 10 questions with their own publishers.
LIBRARIES
Canada’s Largest Public Library Recovering from Cyber-Attack
Toronto Public Library reported in late January that it expected most catalogue and website functions to be fully operational again within weeks, and that approximately one million physical books caught up in the attack would be properly reshelved and accounted for by mid-February, meaning that hold-queues would once again be operational. Since the onset of TPL’s cyber-attack in late October, returned physical books were held in off-site trailers, awaiting proper processing. Toronto’s public library system is considered the busiest physical lending collection in the world, with individual branches around the metropolis sharing their collections to the entire population of library users.
Ongoing Cyber-Attack at British Library
The British Library in King’s Cross, London has been under a devastating cyber-attack since late October 2023. It is believed a Russian hacking organization has taken control of much of the BL’s digital systems, and is demanding a large ransom. While The BL’s main informational website has been rebuilt, ongoing denial of access to key digital files and services means that U.K. authors can expect a delay in PLR payments this February. While Canada’s PLR system is administered by a stand-alone secretariat attached to the Canada Council for the Arts, British PLR has long been a program of the national library.
MARKET STATS
Women Authors Dominate Library Fiction List for 2023
In early January, BookNet Canada released its findings on 2023 library lending in Canada. The top ten most circulated Canadian fiction books were all authored by women, with Nita Prose’s The Maid topping the list, and Margaret Atwood’s Old Babes in the Wood coming in at tenth. BookNet’s LibraryData system collects circulation data from over 80 English-language public libraries on a weekly basis, and compiles the complete data in a report at the year’s end. Lists for nonfiction, children’s and young adult books, plus complete bookstore point-of-sale lists for bestselling Canadian books, are also available on BookNet’s research blog.
