According to recent reports, a copyright association in Japan has recently sent a letter to OpenAI, urging the artificial intelligence company to stop using its members' copyrighted works for model training without authorization. The signatories of this letter include the renowned animation studio Studio Ghibli, which has been particularly significantly affected by OpenAI's generative AI products.

Since OpenAI launched its image generator in March, users have frequently used the tool to generate personal photos and pet images in the style of Studio Ghibli. Even OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman changed his profile picture on social media to an "Studio Ghibli-style" image. As more and more people start to use OpenAI's Sora app and video generator, the Japan Association for the Overseas Dissemination of Content (CODA) expressed concern and called on OpenAI to cease using its copyrighted content for machine learning without permission.

This request is not baseless. OpenAI's strategy has always been "apologize after the fact," allowing users to easily generate images and videos including copyrighted characters and deceased celebrities. However, this approach has led to complaints from organizations such as Nintendo, as well as opposition from the Martin Luther King Jr. Estate, who are concerned about deepfakes appearing on the Sora app.

It remains to be seen whether OpenAI will comply with these requests. If it does not, the relevant parties may take legal action. However, U.S. copyright law is unclear regarding the use of copyrighted materials in AI training. To date, there are no precedents for court interpretations of this law. Although a U.S. federal judge recently ruled that Anthropic did not violate the law when training its AI, it was fined for using pirated books.

Unlike the U.S. legal system, the Japan Association for the Overseas Dissemination of Content believes that generating content using specific copyrighted works may constitute copyright infringement. The association pointed out that in Japan's copyright system, permission is usually required before using copyrighted works, and there is no mechanism to avoid liability for infringement through subsequent objections.

Hayao Miyazaki, one of the core founders of Studio Ghibli, has not made direct comments on the popularity of AI-generated works. However, in 2016, he expressed "extreme disgust" toward AI-generated 3D animations, considering it an insult to life itself.

Key Points:   

📜 The Japan Association for the Overseas Dissemination of Content has requested OpenAI to stop using unauthorized copyrighted works for AI training.   

🎬 Studio Ghibli's style works are popular among users in AI-generated images, triggering concerns over copyright.   

⚖️ Differences between U.S. and Japanese copyright laws lead to different approaches in identifying and handling copyright infringement.