Data licensing and access rights are at the heart of AI. AI systems are built on vast quantities of data – whether customer information, research datasets, proprietary databases, or publicly available materials. Both developers of AI tools and their customers must ensure that the data they use has been obtained and licensed lawfully. Missteps can expose businesses to legal claims, regulatory fines, and reputational damage.

Our solicitors provide clear, practical advice on how data can be accessed, shared and licensed for use in AI systems. We help clients identify ownership rights, negotiate licences, and ensure that contracts provide the legal certainty needed to build and deploy AI responsibly.

Why Data Licensing Matters in AI

  • Developers need clarity on whether they can train models on specific datasets.
  • Customers need to understand whether they can rely on, adapt, or commercialise AI outputs.
  • Funders and investors increasingly require assurance that the data foundations of an AI project are lawful and secure.

Licensing Data for AI

One of the key challenges is that data itself often does not attract intellectual property protection – raw facts and information cannot generally be “owned” in law. This means that access to and control over data is usually secured by way of contract  and licensing agreements. We advise on licensing arrangements that define:

  • Who owns the underlying data.
  • The scope of rights to use data for training, testing or commercial deployment.
  • Restrictions on redistribution, modification or resale.
  • Compliance with intellectual property, database rights and data protection laws.

Access Rights and Sharing

AI projects often involve collaborations, joint ventures, or outsourcing arrangements.

We help clients with:

  • Negotiating access rights for third-party data.
  • Drafting data-sharing agreements that allocate responsibilities clearly.
  • Ensuring compliance with UK GDPR and sector-specific regulations.
  • Managing risks where open-source or publicly available datasets are used.

Data in Customer Agreements

Customers procuring AI tools need clarity on:

  • Whether they have rights to access and extract their own data.
  • Ownership and licensing of AI outputs generated using their data.
  • Continuity of access on termination or transfer of services.
  • Safeguards to prevent lock-in or loss of critical business information.

Why Take Legal Advice?

The value of an AI tool depends heavily on the lawfulness of the data on which it is built and the clarity of access rights around it. Legal advice ensures that businesses can:

  • Use and share data with confidence.
  • Avoid disputes and infringement claims.
  • Meet funder, regulator and customer expectations.
  • Protect their investment in AI development.

For any questions you may have, our data licensing solicitors Neil Williamson and Colin Lambertus can help you.