OpenAI is moving to give entertainment companies stronger control over how their characters are used in artificial intelligence-generated videos, following widespread copyright concerns surrounding its new video model, Sora 2.

The update comes less than a week after the October 1 launch of Sora 2, a video generation tool that allows users to create hyper-realistic clips including those inspired by popular cartoons and video games such as South Park, Pokémon, and Super Mario.

While users have been quick to embrace the model’s creative possibilities, the flood of AI-generated content mimicking copyrighted characters has reignited debates over intellectual property rights in the age of generative AI.

OpenAI Responds to Copyright Pressure

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed in a blog post on Friday that the company would introduce tighter restrictions and new tools for copyright holders.

“We will give rightsholders more granular control over generation of characters,” Altman wrote, explaining that the new system would function “similar to the opt-in model for likeness but with additional controls.”

The move follows a string of copyright lawsuits against OpenAI — including a high-profile case with The New York Times — over the unauthorized use of creative material to train its AI models.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the company had already begun implementing an opt-out system that allows copyright owners, such as film studios and game developers, to prevent their works from appearing in Sora-generated content.

Disney, Nintendo, and Others on Alert

Users testing the invitation-only Sora 2 app reported that requests for videos featuring Disney or Marvel characters were often rejected. However, videos inspired by Japanese franchises, including Pokémon, Super Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog, continued to circulate widely online.

These fan-made clips — often shared on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) — depicted characters like Pikachu and Sonic in cinematic parodies or imagined crossover scenes, prompting backlash from rights holders.

“We’d like to acknowledge the remarkable creative output of Japan — we are struck by how deep the connection between users and Japanese content is,” Altman said, noting the company’s respect for Japan’s cultural impact.

In response, Nintendo issued a statement on X clarifying that it had “not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI” but stressed that it would “continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights.”

Political Reaction in Japan

The controversy has also drawn attention from Japanese lawmakers. Akihisa Shiozaki, a member of Japan’s House of Representatives, warned on X that the situation raised “serious legal and political issues.”

“I would like to address this issue as soon as possible in order to protect and nurture the world-leading Japanese creators,” he said.

A Broader Industry Reckoning

The debate underscores the growing tension between AI innovation and copyright law, particularly as generative models become capable of producing highly convincing imitations of well-known creative works.

Earlier this year, OpenAI faced criticism when its image generator began producing artwork in the distinct style of Studio Ghibli, the revered Japanese animation studio, sparking global discussions about cultural and artistic appropriation in AI outputs.

Industry analysts say the new copyright controls could set an important precedent for how AI developers handle intellectual property in future models — balancing the promise of creativity with the protection of creators’ rights.

For now, Sora 2 remains available to a limited number of users, but its release has already made clear that the intersection of AI, art, and copyright is becoming one of the defining challenges of the digital era.