RSS co-creator launches new protocol for AI data licensing (techcrunch.com)

In response to mounting copyright lawsuits over unlicensed training data—highlighted by Anthropic's recent $1.5 billion settlement and ongoing cases against companies like Midjourney—a group of technologists led by RSS co-creator Eckart Walther has launched Real Simple Licensing (RSL), a scalable protocol aimed at systematizing AI data licensing. Supported by major web publishers including Reddit, Yahoo, and Quora, RSL introduces a machine-readable licensing framework embedded in websites’ robots.txt files, enabling AI companies to identify and comply with specific usage terms, whether custom licenses or Creative Commons provisions. Beyond its technical standard, RSL establishes the RSL Collective, a centralized organization analogous to ASCAP in music licensing, to negotiate terms and collect royalties on behalf of content owners. This collective model aims to streamline negotiations between publishers—many too small to pursue individual deals—and AI developers, potentially preventing a flood of copyright disputes that could stifle AI innovation. While tracking AI training data usage and royalties poses challenges, RSL’s founders believe partial but reliable reporting systems can suffice to ensure fair compensation. The success of RSL now hinges on whether leading AI labs embrace the protocol amid a culture of free web data utilization. With growing industry recognition of the need for clear licensing—echoed by AI executives like Sundar Pichai—RSL represents a pioneering effort to align AI development with legal and ethical data use, setting the stage for a more sustainable and accountable training data ecosystem.