Japan admonishes OpenAI for copyright infringement in AI-generated anime videos

The Japanese government has called on OpenAI to stop infringing on potential copyrights regarding well-known figures from Japanese anime, manga, and games. This is because the new AI video generator Sora 2, based on user text prompts, also creates short clips with characters from popular franchises such as Pokémon, Mario, Demon Slayer, One Piece, and Dragon Ball. Japan has therefore directly approached OpenAI, and a corresponding response from the AI startup is still pending.

At the end of September, OpenAI released Sora 2, a new video AI with sound and its own social app was released. The revised version of its text-to-video model Sora, introduced in February 2024, is said to offer improved physical accuracy and higher photorealistic quality. However, the most significant innovation is the system's ability to generate videos with synchronized dialogues, sound effects, and background noises. Many users have apparently used this to generate video clips up to 20 seconds long featuring their beloved characters from Japanese films, comics, and games.

“Anime and Manga are irreplaceable treasures”

This displeases Japanese government official Minoru Kiuchi, who, as Minister for Economic Security and for Special Missions, is also responsible for intellectual property as well as science and technology. He recently stated at a press conference, “Anime and manga are irreplaceable treasures that we can be proud of worldwide.” Therefore, the government has “called on OpenAI to cease all actions that could constitute copyright infringement,” reported ITmedia in Japan.

However, Japan does not have a legal basis for this. Since the beginning of September, Japan's “AI Promotion Act” has been in effect, an AI law intended to make Japan the “most AI-friendly country” and to promote the development and use of AI for socioeconomic growth. It also sets out some principles for dealing with problematic AI usage, including copyright infringement. In such cases, according to Article 16 of this AI law, the government can “consider countermeasures,” but no penalties are foreseen. However, OpenAI can be asked to explain the fundamental specifications, filtering measures, and deletion responses of Sora 2.

OpenAI and Rights Holders

So far, OpenAI has not publicly responded to Japan's request. However, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced changes a few days after the introduction of Sora 2 in his blog. Rights holders are to gain more control over the generation of their characters by AI. Many companies are enthusiastic about the new possibility of creating so-called fan films, but they want to be able to restrict how their characters are used and depicted.

Even before the official launch of Sora 2, the Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI had given copyright holders the option to opt-out. Studios and talent agencies would thus have been able to prevent the AI video generator from creating their characters and individuals. However, it is unclear which studios were contacted and whether Japanese companies were among them.

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