Hollywood Agencies CAA, UTA Join WME in Opposition to Sora 2

Photo Credit: OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman for TED (YouTube) / CC by 3.0

Major Hollywood talent agencies CAA and UTA circle the wagons with WME in opposition to OpenAI’s Sora 2.

Hollywood is opting out. Major studios and talent agencies Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and United Talent Agency (UTA) have joined William Morris Endeavor (WME) in releasing statements publicly drawing a line in the sand over Sora 2. The invite-only, short-form video app from OpenAI can generate clips using major studios’ characters or featuring the likenesses of star talent.

CAA, the Bryan Lourd-led talent firm, represents such big names as Scarlett Johansson and Brad Pitt. In addition to broadly opting its clients out of OpenAI’s latest tool, CAA’s statement frames the Sora 2 app as a “misuse” of emerging technology that “exposes our clients and their intellectual property to significant risk.”

“CAA is unwavering in our commitment to protect our clients and the integrity of their creations,” read CAA’s statement released on Wednesday. “The misuse of new technologies carries consequences that reach far beyond entertainment and media, posing serious and harmful risks to individuals, businesses, and societies globally.”

Meanwhile, CAA’s rival agency, the David Kramer-led UTA, called Sora 2 “exploitation, not innovation,” in its own statement released on Thursday.

“There is no substitute for human talent in our business, and we will continue to fight tirelessly for our clients to ensure that they are protected,” said a rep for UTA. “When it comes to OpenAI’s Sora or any other platform that seeks to profit from our clients’ intellectual property and likeness, we stand with artists.”

“The future of industries based on creative expression and artistry relies on controls, protections, and rightful compensation,” UTA’s statement continued. “The use of such property without consent, credit, or compensation is exploitation, not innovation.”

On October 1, WME released a memo, issued by head of digital strategy Chris Jacquemin, stating that they have notified OpenAI that “all WME clients be opted out of the latest Sora AI update, regardless of whether IP rights holders have opted out IP our clients are associated with.”

Before WME’s statement came an unexpected one from the typically reserved Motion Picture Association (MPA), the lobbying group that represents Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Amazon MGM Studios, Sony, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The MPA’s statement spoke out against Sora 2, with MPA chief Charles Rivkin saying that OpenAI “must acknowledge it remains their responsibility—not rights holders’—to prevent infringement on the Sora 2 service.” Rivkin added that OpenAI “needs to take immediate and decisive action to address this issue.”

OpenAI head Sam Altman released a blog post last week acknowledging that the company wants to “let rights holders decide how to proceed” and to “expect a very high rate of change from us.” The blog post affirms OpenAI’s decision to change Sora 2 from a “may opt out” policy to a “must opt in” one, though the issue remains that IP and likeness continue to be exploited through Sora 2 without explicit permission from rights holders.