German visual and audio-visual authors and VG Bild-Kunst are not opposing the development of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence offers creative opportunities for visual and audio-visual authors and can be an interesting tool in their creative processes. However, for visual and audio-visual authors represented by VG Bild-Kunst it is essential to maintain control over their works and to be able to receive a fair remuneration for their work being used for AI training purposes. Exercising a collective opt-out aims to provide visual and audio-visual authors with control over their works.

VG Bild-Kunst, as trustee for the rights of artists of works of fine art, photographers, illustrators, designers, and other authors of still images, as well as of audiovisual authors (directors, directors of photography, editors, set- and costume designers), in the name and on behalf of the authors represented by VG Bild-Kunst, hereby declares:

VG Bild-Kunst reserves the rights necessary to reproduce and/or otherwise use the works of authors represented by VG Bild-Kunst for training of any AI application and for any commercial TDM application (§ 44b German Copyright Act: any automated analytical technique aimed at analysing text and data in digital form in order to generate information which includes but is not limited to patterns, trends and correlations), irrespective of where the scraping of works and their reproduction and further uses take place, whether this happens in Europe, the US or worldwide. 

Any such use requires an explicit license. If you have any questions or wish to obtain a license, please contact info@bildkunst.de.