Hong Kong AI Copyright Delay: Why Guidelines Are Coming First

Hong Kong is delaying proposed changes to its copyright law covering AI training and will develop operational guidelines before moving ahead with legislation.

According to the South China Morning Post, the government has put the proposed Copyright (Amendment) Bill 2025 on hold while it works on guidance intended to balance copyright protection with AI development.

The original proposal included an opt-out mechanism for text and data mining.

Under such a system, copyright holders would generally need to indicate that their work should not be used for certain AI-related purposes.

That approach has attracted criticism.

Some rights holders have argued for an opt-in model instead, where AI developers would need permission before using copyrighted material for training.

The debate reflects a problem facing governments around the world.

AI systems need enormous amounts of data.

Creative industries want meaningful control over how copyrighted material is used.

Technology companies want rules that are clear enough to allow innovation.

Those objectives can conflict.

Hong Kong's decision to develop guidelines before finalizing legislation suggests that policymakers want more clarity around how the technology and industry practices are evolving.

For AI companies, the eventual rules could affect training datasets, licensing agreements and compliance processes.

For publishers, artists and other creators, the issue is fundamentally about control over their work.

The Hong Kong case is therefore part of a much wider global debate.

The question isn't simply whether AI should be allowed to train on copyrighted material.

It is:

Under what conditions, with what permissions, and with what compensation or opt-out rights?