EU Plans AI Licensing Rules for Rights Holders
The planned package would ease licensing when AI firms train on copyrighted work, with the Commission's proposal due in the second quarter of next year.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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The European Commission announced a 'digital transformation package' in its 2027 work programme, which is slated to address copyright and AI licensing. The package is still at the announced stage; no text has been presented, and the Commission said it would bring an 'ambitious' tech proposal in the second quarter of the coming year.
Why it matters
The Commission appears to be pairing further digital cuts with copyright reform, possibly to encourage co-legislators to finish the first digital simplification push. Only the AI omnibus component of the 2025 Digital Omnibus has been enacted, while talks on the rest remain ongoing.
The evidence is the Commission's own work programme and statements by Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, with one new tech proposal listed against a backdrop of only one enacted omnibus component. The package's copyright and licensing contents have not been published, and it is not yet clear how it will be sequenced against the open 2025 Digital Omnibus talks.
The players
Henna Virkkunen
Executive Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for technology sovereignty, who said the package aims to ease AI training licensing for rights holders.
Maroš Šefčovič
European Commission Vice-President, who said the Commission would present an 'ambitious' tech proposal in the second quarter of the coming year.
The details
The package is intended to make it easier for rights holders to secure licensing deals when AI companies train models on their work, according to Virkkunen. Virkkunen said the Commission cannot put forward a new proposal until the current one has concluded, which ties the timing of the package to the pending talks with the Council and Parliament. The Commission's separate 'digital fitness check' process targets the EU's whole tech rulebook and could feed into the 2027 digital package.
Timeline
Last year: The Commission announced proposed cuts to EU data, privacy and AI rules.
Last week: The Commission unveiled its 2027 work programme with the digital transformation package.
Second quarter of the coming year: The Commission plans to present its ambitious tech proposal.
Next year: The Commission will review targets for the 2030 Digital Decade programme.
The Tech Race
The 2025 Digital Omnibus set out cuts to EU data, privacy and AI rules, and only its AI component has been enacted so far. The Commission's new package would add copyright and AI licensing to that agenda, placing the EU's rulebook under further simplification as it works to meet its 2030 Digital Decade targets.
Rights holders such as creators could gain an easier route to licensing deals when AI companies train models on their work, if the package follows the stated aim. Timing is uncertain beyond the planned second-quarter presentation, and no provisions have been published yet.
The takeaway
The package signals that the EU wants AI licensing rules settled alongside simplification, and the Commission's second-quarter proposal will show whether copyright reform is included. Watch for the publication of the tech proposal in the second quarter of the coming year, and whether the unfinished 2025 Digital Omnibus talks conclude first.
What happens next
The Commission will present its ambitious tech proposal in the second quarter of the coming year, and will review the 2030 Digital Decade programme targets next year.
Further reading
For broader context, explore the latest reporting in Artificial Intelligence.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Euractiv DE.
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