The Motion Picture Association has asked OpenAI to stop Sora 2 from generating copyrighted material. The group claims the new text-to-video model can reproduce protected scenes and styles without permission. It’s the first formal industry challenge since Sora 2’s release last week.
The MPA represents major studios including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, and Paramount. In a letter to OpenAI, the group warned that Sora 2 could “undermine copyright protections” by allowing users to recreate cinematic imagery at professional quality. OpenAI responded that the model’s safeguards “align with fair-use standards” and that additional filters are under review.
This conflict was inevitable. Sora 2 can generate realistic video and audio from short text prompts. It reproduces lighting, movement, and dialogue patterns at film-level quality. For creators, that means a new medium. For rights holders, it looks like an industrial-scale duplication engine.
The MPA’s letter is the first step toward the inevitable negotiations between model builders and content owners. AI video is now good enough to threaten the production pipeline, so attempts at regulation, licensing, and enforcement will follow quickly. Except… the last time the MPA and the RIAA got their knickers in a knot, they were the 800-pound gorillas. This time… not so much.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with AI strategy, implementation and governance, as well as technology, media and marketing. Named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in Technology, he is a bestselling author, covers tech and business for Fox 5’s Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN, and writes the popular daily business blog Think About This. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.