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OpenAI Faces Backlash from Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco Over AI Generated Anime Videos

OpenAI Faces Backlash from Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco Over AI-Generated Anime Videos

Japan’s CODA, which represents Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and other publishers, wrote a letter to OpenAI.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 4 November 2025 15:54 IST

OpenAI Faces Backlash from Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco Over AI-Generated Anime Videos

Photo Credit: OpenAI

Pictured is a screenshot from OpenAI’s Sora 2 demo

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Highlights

CODA told OpenAI not to use its representative’s content to train Sora
OpenAI was asked to respond to claims from CODA members
Bandai Namco is behind Dragon Ball, Naruto, and One Piece

OpenAI has received a written letter from Japan's Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) asking the company to stop training its artificial intelligence (AI) models on copyrighted content. CODA is an anti-piracy organisation that represents major Japanese publishing companies such as Studio Ghibli, Bandai Namco, Square Enix, and others. Notably, Bandai Namco is behind works such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, and Gitnama, while Square Enix has created the Final Fantasy series. Similarly, OpenAI's image model recently went viral for the Ghibli trend.

OpenAI Told Not to Train AI Models on Copyrighted Anime Content

In a newsroom post, CODA requested that OpenAI not train its Sora 2 video generation model on copyrighted content owned by its members. Additionally, it also told the AI giant to respond to the claims and inquiries made by the members regarding “copyright infringement related to Sora 2's outputs.”

The letter mentions that the agency was able to confirm that a large portion of content generated by Sora closely resembles Japanese content, and it has determined that the issue occurred due to such content being part of its training data. “CODA considers that the act of replication during the machine learning process may constitute copyright infringement,” it added.

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CODA also called out OpenAI's initial policy of opt-out. At the launch of the Sora app, the company had told rightsholders to opt out if they did not want the AI model to generate their copyrighted work. This has since been changed to an opt-in policy. The letter stated, “Under Japan's copyright system, prior permission is generally required for the use of copyrighted works, and there is no system allowing one to avoid liability for infringement through subsequent objections.”

Two requests have been made by the agency. First is that OpenAI immediately stops training its AI models on content owned by its members, and second, that the company responds “sincerely” to the claims and inquiries made by the publishing companies.

Notably, in September, Japan's Minister of State for IP and AI Strategy, Minoru Kiuchi, said in a Cabinet Office press conference that the government had sent a formal request to OpenAI not to engage in copyright infringement.

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Further reading: OpenAI, Sora, AI, Artificial Intelligence, AI Video, Japan

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Chief Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More