Bandai Namco, Square Enix And Other Japanese Publishers Aren't Happy About OpenAI's Sora 2 Generative AI Tool

Bandai Namco And Square Enix Join Other Japanese Publishers In Uproar Over OpenAI's Sora 2 Video Generation Tool 1 Image: Bandai Namco

Japanese video game giants Bandai Namco and Square Enix have joined other companies such as the Sony-owned Aniplex, Studio Ghibli, Square Enix, Kadokawa and Shueisha in requesting that OpenAI refrain from training its Sora 2 Generative AI model on their content.

The announcement was made via Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), which represents anime, game and manga publishers from the country (thanks, Automaton Media).

CODA’s statement insists that Sora 2 has been trained on copyrighted works from Japanese publishers, and that this “may constitute copyright infringement.”

OpenAI has an opt-out system in place and has already had to change the way Sora 2 works in order to avoid certain content from being created. However, CODA claims this approach is incompatible with Japan’s copyright laws and that prior permission is required.

CODA is now asking OpenAI to immediately stop using copyrighted content, and urges the American company to “respond sincerely to claims and inquiries from CODA member companies regarding copyright infringement related to Sora 2’s outputs.”

Sora 2 launched at the end of October and immediately came under fire for allowing users to create videos containing a wide range of copyrighted material and characters, including those of Nintendo.

Established in order to build “safe and beneficial” AI systems, OpenAI has increasingly become embroiled in controversies over its use of Generative AI technology.

In 2024, Hollywood megastar Scarlett Johansson accused the company of using her voice without permission.

Beyond copyright infringement, OpenAI has openly admitted that some of its users exhibit psychosis or suicidal thoughts, and is currently being sued by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who allege that its chatbot, ChatGPT, encouraged him to commit suicide.

[source automaton-media.com]

Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media’s sites from an editorial perspective. He’s also the editor of Time Extension, the network’s newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming’s past glories.