Hollywood declares war on OpenAI: Film Association demands end to copyright infringement in Sora 2

The film industry has raised its voice against OpenAI. The Motion Picture Association, which represents the largest Hollywood studios, has demanded that the artificial intelligence company take a “immediate and decisive action” to stop the copyright infringement they claim is occurring on a large scale on their new video platform, Sora 2.

Since the launch of the Sora app last week, the platform has been filled with user-generated videos using iconic characters from movies and series. In a strong statement, MPA CEO Charles Rivkin noted that “videos that infringe on our members’ films, series, and characters have proliferated on the OpenAI service,” making the industry’s position clear.

In fact, the controversy surrounding Sora not only has to do with copyright, but with the use of the image of famous people, many of them already deceased. As the video above shows, users have given free rein to their imagination and are using Mario or SpongeBob SquarePants, but also Stephen Hawking or Michael Jackson.

The responsibility lies with OpenAI, not the creators

The core of the conflict lies in who has the responsibility to prevent these violations. Rivkin emphasizes that, under copyright law, the obligation to prevent misuse It falls on the platform, i.e. OpenAI, and not on the rights holders, who should not have to pursue each case individually.

In response to the growing pressure, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced a significant change to its policy. The company will move from an “opt-out” model, where studios had to request the withdrawal of their characters, to a model of “opt-in”. This means that, by default, copyrighted characters should not be able to be used without explicit permission.

Still, Altman has admitted that the solution will not be perfect. “There may be some borderline cases of generations sneaking in that shouldn’t,” he wrote, acknowledging that the system will need time to adjust. This showdown is the latest in a series of legal battles between the entertainment industry and AI companies, such as Disney and Universal’s lawsuits against Midjourney, showing that the fight over intellectual property is defining the future of generative AI.