British pop legend Elton John branded the UK government “absolute losers” on Sunday over planned copyright law changes that would hand exemptions to tech firms.
In a blistering interview broadcast by the BBC, “Rocket Man” star John said he felt “incredibly betrayed” and accused the government of preparing to “rob young people of their legacy and their income”.
The changes which he branded “criminal” would allow tech firms to use creators’ content freely unless the rights holders opt out.
But John, 78, who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in his decades-long career, said young artists did not have the resources “to fight big tech”.
He said he was not against artificial intelligence (AI) but that when it came to music and creativity a line should be drawn.
The government’s Data (Use and Access) Bill is currently going through parliament.
The parliament’s upper house supported an amendment designed to ensure copyright holders would have to give permission over whether their work was used and, in turn, see what elements had been taken, by who and when.
But on Wednesday MPs in the lower house, in which the Labour government has a huge majority, voted down the changes
If the government’s planned changes to copyright laws went ahead they would be “committing theft, thievery on a high scale”, John told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.
“The government are just being absolute losers and I’m very angry about it,” John said, blasting Technology Secretary Peter Kyle as a “bit of a moron”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has previously said the government needs to “get the balance right” with copyright and AI while noting that the technology represented “a huge opportunity”.
“They have no right to sell us down the river,” John added, urging Starmer to “wise up” and “see sense”.
More than 1,000 musicians including Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Damon Albarn released a silent album in February to protest at the proposed changes, saying they would legalise music theft.
Earlier this month, writers and musicians including John and Bush also condemned the proposals as a “wholesale giveaway” to Silicon Valley in a letter to The Times newspaper.
Other signatories included musicians Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa and Sting, and writers Kazuo Ishiguro, Michael Morpurgo and Helen Fielding.
A Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson said the bill was focused on “unlocking the secure and effective use of data for the public interest –- boosting the economy by an estimated £10 billion over the course of the next 10 years”.
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