TrueRights launches European AI creator content code

TrueRights and the European Influencer Marketing Alliance have launched a European Code of Conduct for the use of creator content in generative AI. The framework covers consent, licensing and commercial use.

The code is aimed at organisations across the AI content chain, including technology providers, brands, agencies, creators, talent representatives and rights holders. It addresses the use of creator content, likeness and other creative assets in AI systems as marketing, advertising and content production adopt these tools more widely.

The move reflects growing concern in the creator economy over how images, voices and other identifiable assets are used as AI-generated material enters commercial workflows. It also comes as companies operating across Europe navigate differing national approaches to copyright, personality rights and consent.

TrueRights said the code was developed with that fragmented rights landscape in mind. The company, which provides licensing and rights management infrastructure for generative AI, said the document is intended to sit alongside existing and emerging regulation, including the EU AI Act, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and the proposed Digital Fairness Act.

Industry standards

The alliance behind the initiative said it aims to give the market a practical reference point rather than wait for legal harmonisation across Europe. EIMA represents a network of trade associations across 10 European countries and says its membership includes more than 300 agencies and more than 8,000 creators.

Benjamin Woollams, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TrueRights, said concerns over creator rights in AI are no longer limited to celebrity cases that draw public attention.

"We've seen a steady stream of headlines about AI-generated content featuring well-known personalities, often without their involvement or approval. Those stories have helped draw attention to the issue, but the reality is that creators across the industry are grappling with many of the same questions around consent, attribution and commercial use.

For years, the creator economy has operated on a fairly simple principle: if someone's image, content or influence creates value, they should have a say in how it is used and share fairly in that value. AI does not change that principle, but it does make it harder to apply.

This code is an attempt to bring some clarity to a fast-moving area. It gives creators, agencies, brands and technology providers a common starting point and a practical set of standards they can use today."

The code arrives as agencies and brands experiment with generative AI in campaign planning, creative production and content adaptation. That has created a commercial incentive to define when creator material can be reused, altered or simulated, and on what terms.

Blurred lines

Jeanette Okwu, Co-Founder of EIMA and Chief Executive Officer of beyondINFLUENCE, said the spread of AI in marketing has made questions of authorship and authenticity harder to ignore.

"As AI tools become more powerful and more widely adopted, the line between authentic creator content and AI-generated content is becoming increasingly blurred. That raises important questions about consent, attribution and compensation that the industry cannot afford to leave unanswered.

At its best, AI-driven analysis can be combined with human creativity to identify emerging trends, optimise creator partnerships and deliver more effective, data-informed campaigns. But those opportunities can only be realised if creators remain in control of how their identity and creative work are used.

Audiences, brands and platforms all benefit when there is confidence about what is real. TrueRights exists to help build that trust by giving creators the tools and protections they need to participate in the AI economy on fair and transparent terms. This code is an important step towards creating a creator ecosystem where innovation and creator rights can develop together, rather than being seen as competing priorities."

Alongside the code, the two organisations have published a white paper examining intellectual property issues tied to AI adoption in the creator economy. They said they will oversee further development of the code and are inviting organisations across the sector to endorse it publicly.

That endorsement drive will test whether a voluntary framework can gain traction in a market where brands, agencies, platforms and technology providers often have differing incentives. For now, the launch gives a cross-border industry body and a specialist rights platform a shared standard to point to as disputes over consent, attribution and commercial use move closer to the centre of European digital marketing.