[Edaily Starin KIM HYUNSIK Reporter] The Korea Music Copyright Association (KMCA) established and then withdrew reporting and registration standards for musical works created using artificial intelligence (AI).

On the 25th, the KMCA held its 8th Board of Directors meeting and resolved to withdraw the AI-related amendments to the “Regulations on the Reporting and Registration of Musical Works” and the “Terms and Conditions of Music Copyright Trust Agreements.”
KOMCA explained, “This decision is intended to establish legal and institutional standards at the National Assembly and government levels through public discourse and social consensus involving a broad range of stakeholders—including the National Assembly, the government, and the music industry—regarding standards for AI-generated music.”
Previously, on the 3rd, the Association announced guidelines allowing for trust registration—limited to the portions created by humans—in cases where a human creator substantially and proactively participated in the lyric-writing, composition, or arrangement processes of AI-generated music.
The intent was to exclude AI-generated works—commonly referred to as “click-and-play tracks,” which are created solely through prompt input—from trust registration, thereby distinguishing between the creative domains of humans and AI. This aims to prevent the indiscriminate influx of 100% AI-generated works, fraudulent registrations, and potential future rights disputes and distribution distortions.
These criteria were developed based on discussions within the KOMCA’s internal AI committee, which has been working with music creators for approximately three years.
KOMCA stated, “We have decided to respect the National Assembly’s opinion that ‘broad social discussion across the cultural sector is necessary regarding the scope of copyright recognition for music created using AI,’ as well as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s recommendation for public discussion across the entire cultural and arts sector, conveyed via an official letter on the 18th.”
KOMCA emphasized that this withdrawal does not mean it is halting discussions on AI-generated music or permitting the registration of 100% AI-generated works with the collective management organization.
The Association stated, “We will continue to uphold the principle of not registering 100% AI-generated works that lack substantial creative input from humans as copyrighted works. Furthermore, we plan to continue conducting reviews, monitoring, investigations, and follow-up measures to prevent false or fraudulent reports and distortions in distribution, within the scope permitted by current laws and regulations.”
KOMCA is South Korea’s largest music copyright collective management organization.
Lee Si-ha, Chairman of the KMCA, said, “The purpose of revising the regulations was to take the first step toward safeguarding the rights of human creators and a fair compensation system amid regulatory gaps, and to ensure that domestic creators can secure international competitiveness in the AI era,” adding “However, the Board of Directors concurred with the views of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism that this first step should not be limited to the Association’s own standards, but should lead to national standards that everyone can accept following sufficient discussion across the cultural sector.”
He continued, “Although we are withdrawing the proposed amendments to the existing regulations, establishing standards for works created using AI is a task that can no longer be postponed,” adding, “We will do our utmost to ensure that legal and institutional standards are established as soon as possible through broad discussions involving the National Assembly and the government.”