Ray Seilie spoke to the Los Angeles Times about the recent backlash from Hollywood studios and talent agencies over OpenAI’s newly launched Sora 2 and the future of AI in the entertainment industry.
Released earlier this month, Sora 2 permits individuals to use licensed characters and real people, such as actors, in the creation of AI-generated videos. While Silicon Valley was excited about this update, it sparked legal concerns from Hollywood studios and talent agencies over who controls copyrighted images and likenesses of actors and characters and how they will be compensated.
Prior to the public release of Sora 2, OpenAI reportedly took an assertive stance, telling studios and agencies they would need to explicitly declare which characters and talent would be opting out of the feature. Arguments immediately arose across the industry, citing decades of enforceable copyright law as evidence that the “opt out” model is not a workaround for copyright infringement.
“Existing law is clear — a copyright holder has full control over their copyrighted material,” Ray tells the LA Times.
Though OpenAI currently has guardrails in place to block the use of popular copyrights and will remove content at the request of rights holders, some suspect that this backlash could force OpenAI to pursue additional licensing agreements in order to remain compliant with current copyright laws.
In light of legal concerns, Ray reminds copyright holders, “It’s not your job to go around and tell other people to stop using it.” He continues, “If they use it, they use it at their own risk.”
Read the full article in the Los Angeles Times (subscription required).
