Penguin Random House has updated its copyright page on both new and reprinted books to reflect its position on AI training. According to a report from The Bookseller, as highlighted by Gizmodo, the updated copyright statement specifies that “no part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.”
Additionally, the clause indicates that Penguin Random House explicitly reserves this work from the text and data mining exceptions outlined in European Union legislation. The Bookseller notes that Penguin Random House seems to be the first major publisher to incorporate considerations related to AI into its copyright notices.
This updated information on the copyright page acts as a precautionary measure, similar to a robots.txt file, which websites utilize to request that AI companies and other entities refrain from scraping their content. However, a robots.txt file is a voluntary guideline rather than a legal requirement. Copyright protections remain applicable regardless of any additional notices on the copyright page, and exceptions such as fair use still apply if relevant.
Efforts to obtain further comments from Penguin Random House by The Verge have not yet received a response.
In August, Penguin Random House issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to protecting the intellectual property of its authors and artists. In contrast, some academic publishers like Wiley, Oxford University Press, and Taylor & Francis have engaged in AI training partnerships.
