Designers say plans for UK copyright law risk ‘running roughshod’ over sector

Signatories of the letter include the British designer Tom Dixon, whose eponymous brand’s products are sold in 65 countries. Photograph: South China Morning Post/Getty Images

A proposed overhaul of copyright law risks “running roughshod” over a British design industry that has created such memorable products as the red phone box, the London underground map and the iPhone, according to a group of leading UK designers.

In a letter to the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, 35 UK-based designers have urged the government to change cours on its plans to let artificial intelligence (AI) companies train their models on copyrighted work without permission. The proposal has already prompted fierce criticism from the worlds of publishing, music, film, TV and the performing arts, with leading creative figures including Sir Paul McCartney, Richard Osman and Kate Bush voicing their opposition.