Sam Altman says Sora will add ‘granular,’ opt-in copyright controls (techcrunch.com)

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that Sora, the company’s new AI video app, will add “more granular” copyright controls and move toward an opt-in model for character generation. The change responds to early controversy: before launch OpenAI reportedly told studios they had to opt out to block their IP, and users quickly began uploading biometric “cameos” and generating videos that reproduce studio-owned characters and likenesses (including deepfake interactions). Altman says Sora will let rights holders specify how — or whether — their characters can be used, similar to the existing opt-in approach for personal likenesses, though he acknowledged some edge cases will likely slip through. For AI/ML practitioners and rights holders this is significant because it signals a shift from permissive generation toward rights-aware controls and potential monetization tied to content use. Technically this implies building a rights registry and enforcement layers in Sora’s generation pipeline — e.g., detection/blocking of disallowed characters, permission metadata, and audit trails — as well as policies for ambiguous cases. Altman also flagged forthcoming video monetization and possible revenue sharing with rightsholders, which could reshape incentives for studios to allow “interactive fan fiction” and influence how generative models balance creative freedom, IP constraints, and commercial revenue.