Centre's AI and copyright committee falls silent, second paper overdue by months
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A government committee tasked with evaluating AI and copyright laws in India has stalled, missing key deadlines for a second working paper. The panel has not met since June 2026, leading to concerns regarding the stagnation of essential regulatory updates.
Stalled Progress: The AI-Copyright Regulatory Vacuum in India
The Indian government's initiative to bridge the gap between emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies and existing intellectual property laws appears to have hit a significant roadblock. Formed on April 28, 2025, by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the specialized committee was tasked with scrutinizing the Copyright Act of 1957 to determine its sufficiency in the age of generative AI. However, the momentum behind this crucial policy work has dissipated, with members confirming that the committee has not convened since June 2026.
The Missed Deadlines and Diminishing Oversight
Following the completion of the first working paper in December 2025, there was an initial sense of urgency. The committee had explicitly projected that a second working paper, intended to refine policy recommendations, would be released by February 2026. As this deadline has passed by several months without a draft, the lack of activity suggests a waning official interest in addressing the complex intersections of machine learning and authorship. This delay is particularly concerning given the rapid pace at which AI models are ingesting copyrighted data to train large-scale systems.
Challenges of the 1957 Copyright Act
The core of the committee's mandate was to assess whether the Copyright Act of 1957—a piece of legislation drafted in a pre-digital era—could adequately govern AI-generated content. The legal ambiguity surrounding AI authorship, the fair use of training data, and the liability of AI developers remains a global challenge. By failing to provide a clear regulatory framework, the committee leaves stakeholders, including creators, tech companies, and legal professionals, in a state of perpetual uncertainty regarding ownership and infringement rights.
Broader Economic and Legal Implications
The implications of this silence are profound. India is currently positioning itself as a hub for technology and digital innovation; however, without a robust legal framework governing AI, the ecosystem risks falling behind international standards. Clear guidelines are necessary to encourage investment and protect the rights of human creators whose works are increasingly utilized by AI models. The current inaction potentially discourages creators from engaging with AI tools due to fears over copyright erosion and lack of legal recourse.
Future Trends and Outlook
Looking forward, the delay in this committee’s output may result in a fragmented regulatory landscape. If the government fails to formalize a stance, courts may be left to interpret copyright law on a case-by-case basis, which often leads to inconsistent precedents. To regain momentum, the DPIIT must prioritize the resumption of these meetings and finalize the second working paper to provide industry clarity. Without proactive policy intervention, India risks being reactive rather than setting a standard in the global discourse on AI ethics and intellectual property protection.
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