Extended Collective Licensing For The Development Of General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence Models: Spain's First Regulatory Proposal

On November 2024, the Spanish Ministry of Culture prepared a Proposal for a Royal Decree to regulate the granting of extended collective licenses for the mass exploitation of works for the development of general-purpose artificial intelligence models (hereinafter, the "Proposal for a RD"). This legislative instrument seeks to adapt the current regulatory framework to the technological impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), protecting rightsholders while promoting technological innovation.

Regulatory Context

Technological evolution is continuously transforming the way works are created, produced, distributed, and exploited. New business models and stakeholders are also emerging. For instance, the development of AI systems and models often requires large volumes of data and content, many of which are protected by copyright. This presents a major challenge, related to licensing works used in AI development. Obtaining individual permissions for each use of the