United Kingdom: Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025 including copyright protection regulation were adopted by Minister of State

On 21 July 2025, the Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology made the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025 No. 904 (C. 40)), bringing into force on 20 August 2025 sections 135, 136, and 137 of the Act, establishing reporting and progress requirements in relation to the use of copyright works in the development of artificial intelligence systems. Section 135 requires the Secretary of State to prepare and publish an economic impact assessment on specified aspects of data use within nine months. Section 136 mandates the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on the use of copyright-protected material in the training of AI systems. Section 137 imposes a duty to publish a progress statement within six months if the economic impact assessment or the AI copyright report have not yet been published. These provisions establish statutory timelines for disclosure and accountability concerning the intersection of copyright law and AI development, forming part of the Act’s broader data governance framework.