# ARIA CEO warns AI firms seek free copyright ride

> ARIA CEO says OpenAI and Anthropic want Australia to ignore copyright laws for AI training.
- Title: ARIA CEO warns AI firms seek free copyright ride | Shortify
- Summary: ARIA CEO says OpenAI and Anthropic want Australia to ignore copyright laws for AI training. ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd warns that OpenAI and Anthropic are…
- Keywords: aria, openai, anthropic, copyright, australian government, ai training, music industry, arai, ppca, australian recording industry associatio, phonographic performance company of aust, ai law
- Source: Music Business Worldwide — https://musicbusinessworldwide.com/aria-boss-tells-australian-lawmakers-openai-and-anthropic-are-asking-government-for-a-free-ride-on-copyright
- Published: 2026-10-07T09:59:51+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: aria, openai, anthropic, copyright, australian government, ai training, music industry, arai, ppca, australian recording industry associatio, phonographic performance company of aust, ai law
## ARIA CEO warns AI firms
Annabelle Herd, CEO of ARIA and PPCA, accused OpenAI and Anthropic of 'asking Government for a free ride' on copyright.

> OpenAI and Anthropic want the Australian Government to sign up to a deal to train their frontier AI agents here on the proviso that they don’t have to abide by our copyright laws.
## AI companies seek copyright exemptions
OpenAI and Anthropic each called on Australia to ease its position on AI training, as reported by Reuters on September 22.
## Anthropic's proposal
Anthropic proposed a narrow form of conditional approval for AI model training, with conditions like investment in support of Australian creators.
## OpenAI's request
OpenAI argued for rules that let AI models train on public information while giving rights holders collaboration opportunities.
## Data center investments
OpenAI signed a memorandum with NEXTDC in December 2025 for an AI campus in Sydney, while Anthropic secured a data center in Queensland.
## Herd's concerns
Herd warned that changing Australian copyright law to accommodate AI companies could make Australia a Trojan horse for Big AI and industrial-scale copyright exploitation.
## Herd on licensing
Herd said the law is very certain in Australia, with no need for companies to bypass copyright rules through legal loopholes.
## Herd on sovereignty
Herd stressed that Australia should not rewrite laws to suit foreign company commercial interests, as it would devastate the music industry and make Australia a pariah globally.
## US lawsuits
Anthropic defends copyright lawsuits in the US brought by music publishers including Universal Music Publishing Group and Concord Music Group.
## Market for AI training
The RIAA and NMPA cited existing licensing deals as evidence that a market for training data exists, despite court rejecting fair use claims.
## Valuation details
Anthropic's implied valuation reached USD $1.5 trillion, while OpenAI's funding rounds valued it at USD $852 billion.
## Herd on global licensing
Herd noted that the music industry already has efficient licensing systems capable of licensing 90 per cent of the world’s sound recordings.
## Herd on market failure
Herd stated there is clearly no market failure, just two foreign companies valued at over USD $1 trillion asking government for a free ride.
## Key takeaway

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd warns that OpenAI and Anthropic are asking Australian government to sign deals that exempt them from copyright laws, risking global exploitation of rights holders.