![\"music](\"https:\/\/www.digitalmusicnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SACEM-Logo-1024x546.png\" "\\"music\\""){kind=logo}
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Photo Credit: SACEM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Music SACEM is once again calling for the passage of France\u2019s Darcos Bill (Bill No. 2634), under which it would be up to AI developers to prove \u201cin any civil dispute\u201d that their models weren\u2019t <\/em>trained on protected works.<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) just recently reiterated its support for the Darcos Bill in Paris, where it and many others were on hand for CISAC\u2019s 2026 general assembly.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, AI was a major focus during the event, which saw CISAC member-society reps take the stage while holding French-language signs in favor of the legislation. \u201cCreators from all over the world support the Darcos Law,\u201d said signs read, per Google\u2019s translation.<\/p>\n
But as the bill is still shelved in France\u2019s National Assembly, it\u2019s SACEM that put out a formal release entreating lawmakers to adopt (or at least advance) the measure. <\/strong><\/h4>\n(On the \u201cstill\u201d front, Reporters Without Borders closed out May by describing debate on the bill as \u201cstalled in France\u2019s National Assembly.\u201d In its present June 11th schedule positioning \u2013 dead last, that is \u2013 the Darcos Bill \u201chas almost no chance of being debated in the chamber,\u201d according to the text.)<\/p>\n
Besides the widespread use of a new title (Senator Laure Darcos introduced the legislation), the Darcos Bill remains unchanged from April, when it was unanimously passed in the Senate.<\/p>\n
As we reported when SACEM (and SNEP<\/a>) rallied behind Bill No. 2634 in May, the proposed law would presume that AI developers had utilized protected IP to train their models \u201cunless proven otherwise.\u201d<\/h4>\n\u201cUnless proven\u00a0otherwise, in any civil dispute, the work or object protected by copyright or related rights, within the meaning of this code, is presumed to have been used by the\u00a0supplier of the\u00a0artificial\u00a0intelligence,\u201d the translated document reads.<\/p>\n
In this latest show of support, SACEM doubled down on its central position that the unauthorized use of protected works to train gen AI constitutes theft.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe large-scale use of our works to train AI systems\u2014without authorization or compensation\u2014constitutes the greatest plundering of creative and artistic works ever perpetrated,\u201d SACEM wrote. \u201cAnd as if that were not enough, our works and the culture of our countries are being overwhelmed and diluted by synthetic content that directly competes with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taking things a step further, however, the entity touched on the idea that the Darcos Bill\u2019s passage could lay the groundwork for the implementation of similar laws throughout Europe.<\/h4>\n
\u201cSuch a vote would resonate far beyond France\u2019s borders,\u201d SACEM indicated. \u201cThere is an urgent need for action on behalf of creators around the world, who know that France\u2014as it has so often done throughout the history of copyright\u2014can once again lead the way and send a clear message: the development of AI must not come at the expense of culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, time will tell whether the Darcos Bill crosses the finish line and whether it spurs different AI crackdowns elsewhere.<\/p>\n
But overall, the measure appears to be indicative of the broader regulatory climate for AI developers in Europe, where a German court is now less than two months away from handing down a ruling (originally expected for mid-June) in GEMA\u2019s high-stakes suit against Suno<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section><\/div>\n
(On the \u201cstill\u201d front, Reporters Without Borders closed out May by describing debate on the bill as \u201cstalled in France\u2019s National Assembly.\u201d In its present June 11th schedule positioning \u2013 dead last, that is \u2013 the Darcos Bill \u201chas almost no chance of being debated in the chamber,\u201d according to the text.)<\/p>\n
Besides the widespread use of a new title (Senator Laure Darcos introduced the legislation), the Darcos Bill remains unchanged from April, when it was unanimously passed in the Senate.<\/p>\n