BSA’s response to the European Commission’s evaluation of the DSM Directive highlights the critical role of the Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception in enabling AI development, cybersecurity research, and AI-powered business software. The submission argues that legal certainty around Article 4 is essential for innovation and competitiveness, while warning that fragmented opt-out mechanisms, inconsistent national interpretations, and uncertainty around rights reservations create significant barriers for companies. BSA calls for clearer guidance confirming that AI training falls within the TDM exception and that rights reservations should be machine-readable and technically discoverable to ensure a workable and harmonized framework across the EU.