Sources: OpenAI told studios that it plans to release a new version of Sora that creates videos featuring copyrighted material unless copyright holders opt out
2. I don't think copyright law works like that — www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open... Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : OpenAI realizes they don't have enough training data to compete with Google's Veo being trained on all of YouTube's content. — The solution? They will now train on copyrighted videos unless content owners opt-out per video. 😬 @wxandpi : “Please sue us, please, we are begging” [embedded post] Brian / @bwnash : <Sound of copyright attorneys salivating> Paul Rietschka / @prietschka : That sound you're hearing? — It's a million corporate lawyers experiencing an orgasm simultaneously. [embedded post] Gordon Moat / @gordonmoat : Lawsuit filings in three, two, one .... [embedded post] Lauri Donahue / @lauridonahue : Do they know how many lawyers the studios have...? [embedded post] Michael Coley / @mcoley : Oh wow. This won't end badly for OpenAI at all. Definetly not a million lawsuits being filed as we speak. [embedded post] @chancethelawyer : lol “what is even copyright law” has always been their guiding methodology [embedded post] Forums: r/singularity : Sora 2 generates copyrighted content by default unless owners opt out See also Mediagazer
Context & Ripple Effects
The reported default-opt-out approach would mark a break from earlier efforts to negotiate video-content licenses: OpenAI, Alphabet and Meta had discussed licensing with Hollywood studios, while Disney and Netflix were reportedly uninterested.
It also lands amid an unresolved platform-data dispute. YouTube’s CEO had said using YouTube videos to train Sora would breach YouTube’s terms, underscoring that training access and output rights are separate points of contention.
First-order effects
- Studios and other copyright holders would need to decide whether and how to opt out, shifting the immediate burden of rights management onto them rather than requiring OpenAI to secure permission first.
- OpenAI’s Sora rollout would become directly exposed to rights-holder scrutiny over both the policy and the videos it enables; subsequent coverage documented Sora 2 clips featuring major entertainment franchises.
Second-order effects
- Hollywood licensors and talent representatives gain a sharper incentive to seek enforceable licensing, attribution, compensation, or removal terms instead of relying on informal discussions.
- Rival video-model providers and distribution platforms may face pressure to state more clearly whether they use opt-in, opt-out, or licensed-content approaches, because policy design becomes a product and legal-risk differentiator.
Third-order effects
- If default inclusion becomes a common model for generative video, copyright compliance could shift from negotiated access toward large-scale rights registries, notice systems, and post-release enforcement.
- The resulting boundary between model training, output imitation, and commercial use is likely to be contested by platforms, studios, and creators; whether opt-out systems endure will depend on rights-holder response and applicable legal outcomes.
The trend: Generative-video companies are moving from model capability competition into a contest over who bears the cost and responsibility of clearing creative rights.