News/Copyright
Hollywood agencies accuse OpenAI of misleading them about Sora 2 protections
Hollywood talent agencies are accusing OpenAI of deliberately misleading them about Sora 2's content protections after the AI video generator launched with capabilities to create clips featuring copyrighted characters and movie scenes. The controversy deepens existing tensions between the AI industry and entertainment sector over intellectual property rights and unauthorized use of creative content. What you should know: Major talent agencies claim OpenAI either failed to notify them of Sora 2's launch or was "purposefully misleading" about the strength of its content guardrails. WME, a major Hollywood talent agency that represents Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, and...
read Oct 16, 2025Novelists sue Salesforce for using copyrighted books to train AI models
Two authors have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Salesforce, alleging the cloud computing giant used thousands of copyrighted books without permission to train its xGen AI models. The lawsuit highlights growing legal pressure on tech companies over AI training practices, with dozens of similar cases targeting major firms like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Meta. What you should know: Novelists Molly Tanzer and Jennifer Gilmore claim Salesforce infringed their copyrights by using pirated books to train xGen AI models for language processing.• The complaint was filed on Wednesday, with Salesforce declining to comment on the lawsuit Thursday.• Attorney Joseph Saveri,...
read Oct 13, 2025Oi! UK performers union plans mass data requests to expose AI training theft
Equity, the UK's performing arts union, has threatened mass direct action against tech and entertainment companies using its members' images, voices, and likenesses in AI content without permission. The union represents 50,000 performers and plans to coordinate large-scale data access requests to force companies to disclose whether they've used members' personal data in AI-generated material without consent. What you should know: Equity is escalating its fight against unauthorized AI use by leveraging data protection laws to create pressure on tech companies. The union plans to help members submit subject access requests en masse, which legally require companies to respond within...
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Record labels sue evasive AI music generators for billions in copyright damages
Major record labels have filed federal lawsuits against AI music generators Suno and Udio, alleging "mass copyright infringement on an almost unimaginable scale" and seeking billions in damages. The legal battle has sparked development of neural fingerprinting technology that can detect AI-generated music and identify when synthetic tracks derive from copyrighted works, even when no direct copying occurs. The big picture: Traditional audio fingerprinting fails against AI-generated music because it only catches exact matches, while neural networks can learn musical patterns and reproduce them in transformed ways that evade detection. Key details about the lawsuits: The labels built their case...
read Oct 9, 2025AI “slop” is a huge hit: OpenAI’s Sora app achieves 1M downloads in 5 days
OpenAI's Sora app has hit over one million downloads in less than five days, surpassing ChatGPT's initial adoption rate despite being limited to North America and requiring invites for actual usage. The TikTok-style AI video platform represents OpenAI's ambitious bet on AI-generated content, though it's already facing significant copyright and content moderation challenges that could determine its long-term viability. What you should know: Sora functions as a social network built entirely around AI-generated videos, offering users an endless vertical feed similar to TikTok's interface. Users can create 10-second videos simply by writing text prompts to OpenAI's Sora 2 model within...
read Oct 9, 2025The kids stay in the picture: Film talent launch startup that makes children stars in their own series
Film producers David Boies and Zack Schiller have launched CenterStage Technologies, an AI startup that creates personalized storytelling platforms allowing children to star in their own shows featuring popular characters. The company has secured intellectual property deals with PBS and Pete the Cat, with plans to launch its first product this fall targeting early childhood reading and entertainment. What you should know: CenterStage aims to address Hollywood's AI concerns by working directly with IP owners and employing industry professionals in its development process. The platform uses "highly controlled" training environments and safety protocols to protect licensed characters and ensure kid-safe...
read Oct 9, 2025Consent of the AI-governed: Indian film studios push for copyright protections
Hollywood and Bollywood film studios are lobbying an Indian government panel to establish stricter copyright protections that would prevent AI companies from using their content to train AI models without proper licensing. The push comes as India reviews whether its current copyright laws are adequate for addressing AI-related intellectual property disputes, with the film industry arguing that blanket training exceptions could undermine creative incentives and revenue streams. What you should know: India's government formed a panel this year to examine whether existing copyright law sufficiently addresses AI-related disputes and make recommendations for potential changes. The panel consists of lawyers, government...
read Oct 6, 2025Talent agency WME blocks all clients from OpenAI’s new Sora video features
WME has opted all of its clients out of OpenAI's latest Sora update, which adds sound effects, dialogue, and a "cameos" feature that allows users to insert human likenesses into AI-generated videos. The decision reflects deepening anxiety in Hollywood over AI's potential to exploit talent without proper compensation or consent, as the industry grapples with technology that could reshape entertainment production. What you should know: WME's head of digital strategy sent a company-wide notice on October 1st declaring that all clients would be excluded from Sora's newest capabilities. The agency's position is that "artists should have a choice in how...
read Oct 3, 2025Aiode launches AI music platform that pays real, actual, human musicians
Aiode has officially launched its desktop AI music platform that pairs artists with virtual musicians based on real performers, emphasizing ethical AI training and compensation for the musicians whose styles were modeled. The platform addresses longstanding complaints about AI music tools lacking precision by allowing targeted regeneration of specific song sections while maintaining creator control and rights. What you should know: Aiode's virtual musicians replace generic AI fill-ins with models based on actual performers who will receive compensation for their contributions.• The platform spent a year in testing before its official launch, with targeted regeneration of specific song sections like...
read Oct 3, 2025Hollywood’s new New Girl is rejected by SAG-AFTRA as unauthorized digital performer
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the union representing actors in film and television, has issued a sharp rebuke against "Tilly Norwood," an AI-generated actress unveiled last week. The union declared that the digital performer is "not an actor" but rather "a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation." The controversy highlights the growing tension between artificial intelligence development and creative industries, as performers across entertainment sectors push back against unauthorized use of their work to train AI systems. What they're...
read Oct 2, 2025Mexico drafts first AI law to protect creative workers from voice theft
Mexico's federal government is developing landmark legislation to regulate artificial intelligence use in creative industries, working with over 128 organizations including dubbing professionals, actors, broadcasters, and film institutes. The reform aims to protect creative works and copyright while preventing unauthorized AI replication of voices, images, music, and other artistic content. Why this matters: The legislation represents Mexico's first comprehensive approach to AI regulation in cultural sectors, addressing both technological misuse and broader labor protections for creative professionals. The National Copyright Institute (Indautor), Mexico's federal copyright agency, and the Legal Counsel of the Presidency are leading the initiative alongside industry associations...
read Oct 2, 2025Flagrantly fun Sora 2 tops iOS charts while sparking copyright lawsuits
OpenAI released Sora 2, an AI-powered app that creates high-definition videos from text prompts and allows users to insert realistic "cameos" of themselves and others into AI-generated content. The app immediately surged to become the most popular video app on iOS, but its ability to generate copyrighted characters like Mario and Pikachu has sparked significant copyright and deepfake concerns among legal experts. What you should know: Sora 2 represents a major upgrade from OpenAI's original Sora model, now featuring synchronized dialogue and sound effects alongside video generation. Users can create lifelike videos by providing simple text descriptions, and the app...
read Oct 2, 2025Universal Music and Warner near AI licensing deals with both tech giants and startups
Universal Music and Warner Music, two of the world's largest record labels, are nearing landmark AI licensing deals with multiple companies, including start-ups like ElevenLabs, Stability AI, Suno, and Udio, as well as tech giants Google and Spotify, according to a Financial Times report. These agreements could be finalized within weeks and represent a significant shift toward formal partnerships between major record labels and AI companies amid ongoing copyright disputes in the creative industry. Why this matters: The music industry has been embroiled in legal battles over AI companies using copyrighted material without permission to train their models, making these...
read Oct 1, 2025Disney forces Character.AI to let it go, removes copyrighted characters after legal threat
Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI, an AI chatbot platform, demanding the removal of numerous Disney-owned characters and accusing the startup of "blatantly infringing" on Disney's copyrights. The legal action highlights growing tensions between entertainment giants and AI companies over unauthorized use of intellectual property, particularly as AI platforms increasingly feature user-generated content based on popular characters. What you should know: Character.AI complied with Disney's demands by removing all cited characters from its platform following the September 18 legal notice. The affected characters spanned Disney's entire portfolio, including Anna and Elsa from "Frozen," Marvel heroes like Spider-Man and...
read Sep 30, 2025Steamboat Chilly: Disney sends cease-and-desist to Character.AI over unauthorized chatbots
Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Character.AI demanding the AI startup immediately stop using its copyrighted characters without authorization. The entertainment giant's concern extends beyond financial damages to potential long-term brand harm, as the AI platform allows users to create chatbots that imitate Disney characters in ways the company cannot control. What you should know: Disney's legal action stems from a disturbing pattern of behavior identified on Character.AI's platform involving its intellectual property. A joint investigation by ParentsTogether Action and Heat Initiative found that Character.AI's chatbots engaged in "grooming and sexual exploitation, as well as emotional manipulation and addiction."...
read Sep 29, 2025Cybercriminals use fake copyright notices to swap crypto wallet addresses
Cybercriminals are exploiting copyright fears to distribute malware through fake legal takedown notices, according to new research from Cofense Intelligence, a cybersecurity firm. The Vietnamese threat actor "Lone None" has been sending multilingual copyright violation messages that appear to come from legitimate law firms, but actually deliver malware when victims click on supposed "resolution" links. Why this matters: This campaign represents a sophisticated evolution in social engineering tactics, leveraging people's fear of copyright violations to bypass traditional security measures. Attackers are using AI tools and machine translation to create convincing takedown notices in multiple languages, expanding their global reach. Instead...
read Sep 26, 2025CreateAI launches anime video AI platform “Animon” in China
CreateAI has launched Animon, the world's first anime-specific video generation platform, in China months before its planned global rollout. The strategic China-first launch highlights how AI companies are adapting their market entry strategies to navigate different regulatory environments while addressing growing concerns about copyright and ownership in AI-generated content. What you should know: Animon represents a specialized approach to AI video generation, targeting the massive anime market with content specifically designed for that artistic style. The platform launched in China ahead of its global release, suggesting CreateAI, an AI development company, sees significant opportunity in the Chinese market for anime-style...
read Sep 26, 2025Fake AI song infiltrates Bon Iver side project’s official Spotify page
A fake AI-generated song has appeared on Volcano Choir's official Spotify page, despite the acclaimed Bon Iver side project being dormant since 2013. The incident highlights Spotify's ongoing struggle with AI-generated content, occurring just days after the platform announced new policies to combat "AI slop" that deceives listeners and diverts royalties from legitimate artists. What happened: A suspicious new single titled "Silkymoon Light" suddenly appeared on Volcano Choir's verified Spotify profile this week with no official announcement from the band or their label, Jagjaguwar. The track features robotic vocals that poorly imitate Justin Vernon's distinctive voice, singing generic lyrics like...
read Sep 25, 2025Judge approves $1.5B Anthropic settlement over copyrighted books
A federal judge has approved a $1.5 billion settlement between AI company Anthropic and authors who accused the company of illegally using nearly half a million copyrighted books to train its Claude chatbot. The settlement will pay authors and publishers approximately $3,000 per book covered by the agreement, marking a significant legal precedent for AI companies' use of copyrighted material in training data. What you should know: U.S. District Judge William Alsup approved the settlement in San Francisco federal court after addressing concerns about fair distribution and author notification.• The settlement covers existing books but does not apply to future...
read Sep 24, 2025Faux pas! French voice actor sues game studio over AI voice cloning in Tomb Raider
French video game developer Aspyr used AI to clone voice actor Françoise Cadol's distinctive performance as Lara Croft without her permission in an August update to "Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered." The incident has ignited widespread concern among voice actors and gaming fans about unauthorized AI voice cloning, highlighting broader workplace automation threats as the technology becomes more accessible and difficult to regulate. What happened: Gamers immediately detected that something was wrong with Lara Croft's French voice in the August 14 update, describing it as robotic and lifeless compared to Cadol's original performance. Cadol, who has voiced the character since 1996,...
read Sep 24, 2025Roblox removes AI character after copyright dispute raises ownership questions
Tupac Shakur? No, Tung Tung Tung Sahur. Roblox's most popular game, Steal a Brainrot, has removed the AI-generated character Tung Tung Tung Sahur following a copyright dispute between the game's developer and the character's Indonesian creator. The controversy highlights the murky legal landscape surrounding intellectual property rights for AI-generated content, as millions of players demand answers about who can actually own characters created with artificial intelligence. What you should know: Tung Tung, a wooden log man character, disappeared from Steal a Brainrot on September 13 after France-based company Mementum Labs claimed copyright infringement on behalf of creator Noxaasht. The character...
read Sep 24, 2025California requires AI companies to disclose training data in 2026
California has passed Assembly Bill 2013, requiring generative AI developers to publicly disclose their training data starting January 1, 2026. The Generative Artificial Intelligence Training Data Transparency Act represents one of the most comprehensive U.S. rules on AI disclosure, potentially strengthening copyright lawsuits while raising compliance burdens for companies operating in the state. What you should know: The law mandates detailed public disclosures about datasets used to train AI models, including sources, availability, size, and whether copyrighted or personal data are included. Developers must publish information on their websites about data sources, whether datasets are publicly available or proprietary, their...
read Sep 23, 2025AI vocalist “Xania Monet” scores $3M record deal amid industry copyright lawsuits
Telisha "Nikki" Jones, operating under the AI-generated persona Xania Monet, has secured a $3 million record deal with Hallwood Media. The agreement highlights the growing intersection of artificial intelligence and the music industry, even as major labels simultaneously sue AI platforms like Suno—the very tool Jones uses to create Monet's vocals and production. What you should know: Jones combines human songwriting with AI-generated elements to create a fully artificial musical persona that's achieving commercial success. Jones writes all lyrics and takes production credits, but uses Suno's AI platform to generate Monet's vocals, images, and musical arrangements. Monet's song "How Was...
read Sep 22, 2025Record labels accuse Suno of illegally ripping songs from YouTube to train AI
Major record labels have escalated their lawsuit against AI music generator Suno, alleging the startup illegally "stream ripped" copyrighted songs from YouTube to train its generative AI models. The updated complaint filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 19th specifically accuses Suno of circumventing YouTube's encryption technology, which could expose the company to additional penalties under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's anti-circumvention provisions. What you should know: The RIAA's amended complaint introduces new allegations that Suno violated YouTube's terms of service by breaking through the platform's technological protections. Record labels claim Suno "employed code to access,...
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