Japan Copyright Association Challenges OpenAI's Training Practices

The Japan Association for the Overseas Dissemination of Content (CODA) has issued a formal request to OpenAI, urging the artificial intelligence company to immediately cease using copyrighted materials belonging to its members for AI model training without authorization. This development marks a significant escalation in the global debate over intellectual property rights in the age of generative AI.

Studio Ghibli Among Prominent Objectors

Signatories to the letter include renowned Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli, whose distinctive artistic style has become particularly popular among users of OpenAI's image generation tools. Since the launch of OpenAI's image generator in March 2025, social media has been flooded with user-created images mimicking Ghibli's signature aesthetic - including an instance where OpenAI CEO Sam Altman temporarily changed his profile picture to a "Ghibli-style" portrait.

The association expressed heightened concern as OpenAI expands its offerings with tools like Sora, its video generation application. CODA maintains that using copyrighted content for machine learning without explicit permission violates Japanese copyright law.

Legal Gray Areas Emerge

This conflict underscores fundamental differences between U.S. and Japanese copyright systems. While U.S. law remains ambiguous about using copyrighted materials for AI training (as demonstrated by a recent federal court ruling favoring Anthropic in a similar case), Japan's legal framework typically requires prior authorization for such use.

The association emphasized that Japan lacks provisions allowing organizations to avoid liability through post-hoc objections - contrasting sharply with what critics describe as OpenAI's "apologize after the fact" approach to copyright issues.

Broader Industry Implications

The dispute follows previous complaints from major rights holders including Nintendo and the Martin Luther King Jr. Estate regarding unauthorized use of protected content in AI applications. Legal experts note that outcomes may vary significantly depending on jurisdiction, potentially forcing AI companies to adopt region-specific training protocols.

Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki hasn't directly addressed this latest controversy, but his historical skepticism toward AI-generated content suggests alignment with CODA's position. In 2016, Miyazaki famously condemned computer-generated animation as "an insult to life itself."

Key Points:

• 📜 Legal Demand: Japan's CODA formally requests OpenAI stop unauthorized use of copyrighted works for AI training
• 🎬 Style Replication: Studio Ghibli's distinctive animation style proves particularly vulnerable to AI imitation
• ⚖️ Jurisdictional Divide: Fundamental differences between U.S. and Japanese copyright laws complicate resolution
• 🌐 Industry Impact: Case may force AI firms to develop region-specific content policies