The AI industry is facing a major reckoning. After Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement, the spotlight is on how AI companies source their training data. With more than 40 lawsuits pending—including one targeting Midjourney for generating copyrighted images—the future of AI could hinge on data licensing.
To address this challenge, a group of technologists and publishers have introduced a new protocol called Real Simple Licensing (RSL). Backed by major names like Reddit, Yahoo, and Quora, RSL could reshape how AI companies access and license training data at scale.
Let’s explore how this system works, who’s supporting it, and why it could change the future of AI.
What Is Real Simple Licensing (RSL)?
Real Simple Licensing (RSL) is a new framework designed to create a scalable licensing system for AI training data. It was co-founded by Eckart Walther, one of the creators of the original RSS standard.
According to Walther, the goal is simple:
“We need machine-readable licensing agreements for the internet. That’s really what RSL solves.”
Key Features of RSL:
- Machine-readable licensing agreements integrated into websites.
- Publishers can specify licensing terms through their robots.txt file.
- AI companies can either adopt Creative Commons licenses or negotiate custom terms.
- Backed by a collective licensing body (RSL Collective), similar to ASCAP for musicians.
This combination of technical standards and legal infrastructure could finally give publishers control over how their content is used in AI training.
Who’s Supporting RSL?
A growing number of publishers and platforms have already joined or endorsed the initiative.
Publishers in the RSL Collective:
- Yahoo
- Reddit (already making $60M annually from Google data licensing)
- Medium
- O’Reilly Media
- Ziff Davis (owner of Mashable & CNET)
- Internet Brands (WebMD owner)
- The Daily Beast
- People Inc.
Other Supporters of the Standard:
- Quora
- Fastly
- Adweek
This mix of large publishers and niche platforms signals growing momentum for standardized AI licensing.
Why RSL Matters for AI and Copyright
The AI industry’s biggest challenge is tracking and compensating copyrighted training data. Unlike music or movies, where usage can be logged and tracked, AI models often process data without leaving clear records.
Key Challenges:
- Tracking Training Data – Once an AI model ingests a document, it’s nearly impossible to confirm usage.
- Per-Inference Payments – Some publishers may demand royalties every time their data is used, not just a blanket license.
- Free Data Culture – AI labs are used to scraping free datasets like Common Crawl, making monetization difficult.
Still, RSL’s founders argue it doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be “good enough to get people paid.”
AI Leaders Are Already Calling for a System
Interestingly, even AI giants have acknowledged the need for a system like RSL. At the DealBook Summit, Google CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the importance of structured licensing protocols for AI data.
This puts pressure on companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind to adopt solutions instead of risking endless lawsuits.
Potential Impact of Real Simple Licensing
If widely adopted, RSL could transform AI development and publishing economics in several ways:
- Protects Content Creators: Publishers finally gain control and revenue from their work.
- Reduces Legal Risks for AI Companies: Standardized agreements prevent billion-dollar lawsuits.
- Levels the Playing Field: Smaller publishers can license their data without needing individual negotiations.
- Encourages Transparency: AI companies would need to report how they use licensed data.
This could be the beginning of a sustainable ecosystem for AI training data.
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Conclusion: The Future of AI Licensing
The launch of Real Simple Licensing (RSL) marks a turning point for the AI industry. By combining technical protocols with a legal collective, it offers a realistic solution to the copyright and data ownership crisis.
But the big question remains: Will major AI labs adopt it?
If they do, RSL could prevent years of lawsuits and pave the way for fair, transparent, and ethical AI training. If not, the industry risks collapsing under the weight of copyright battles.
👉 At PreviewKart, we’ll continue tracking how RSL and similar initiatives shape the future of AI.
FAQs on RSL and AI Copyright
1. What is Real Simple Licensing (RSL) in AI?
RSL is a new licensing protocol that allows publishers to define how their content can be used for AI training, with standardized agreements built into websites.
2. Who created RSL?
RSL was co-created by Eckart Walther, one of the original creators of the RSS protocol.
3. Which companies support RSL?
Supporters include Reddit, Yahoo, Quora, Medium, Ziff Davis, and O’Reilly Media.
4. How will RSL help publishers?
It enables publishers to negotiate licensing terms, collect royalties, and protect their content from unauthorized AI training.
5. Will AI companies adopt RSL?
Adoption depends on industry leaders, but with lawsuits piling up, experts believe AI labs may have no choice but to adopt a standardized licensing system.
