WGA Sends Letter to Studios, Urging Lawsuits Against AI Plagiarism: ‘Inaction has Harmed WGA Members’

As a seasoned movie reviewer with decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen it all – from black-and-white classics to the latest blockbuster releases. But nothing quite compares to this recent development that has left even the biggest studios scratching their heads: AI plagiarism.

The Eastern and Western branches of the Writers Guild of America have penned a forceful missive to the leaders of significant Hollywood production companies, voicing their concerns over inactivity regarding AI’s apparent misuse of copyrighted scripts for plagiarism purposes.

I, as a devoted cinema enthusiast, sent letters on Thursday to key executives at various film studios and streaming platforms. The recipients included Jennifer Salke (Amazon MGM Studios), Bob Iger (Disney), Donna Langley (NBCUniversal), Ted Sarandos (Netflix), the co-CEOs of Paramount Global (George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins), Ravi Ahuja (Sony Pictures Entertainment), and David Zaslav (Warner Bros. Discovery).

The WGA leaders voice their disapproval towards the studios, stating that they’ve taken no steps to prevent this theft. Instead, they have granted tech firms unrestricted access to entire archives without seeking approval or offering fair remuneration. This inactivity on the part of the studios has resulted in harm to WGA members.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I’d like to share an insight about a recent development within the world of screenwriting. In a recent correspondence, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) emphasized that their collective bargaining agreement explicitly obliges studios to safeguard copyrights on behalf of writers. This obligation now extends to taking immediate legal action against any company found using our creative works to train AI systems. However, it’s important to note that the current WGA contract does not offer protection specifically against AI training. Hence, airing these concerns publicly is necessary to ensure our rights are respected in this rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Here is the text of the full letter:

The Atlantic article published on November 18, titled “There’s No Longer Any Doubt That Hollywood Writing is Powering AI,” underscores a fact that has been evident to many: tech companies have exploited the intellectual property of movie studios – a vast collection of works generated by decades of union labor – for their artificial intelligence systems. By accumulating enormous capital on this basis of grand theft, these tech firms now aim to resell expensive services to the studios, which unknowingly purchase plagiarized works created by Writers Guild of America members and Hollywood labor.

The studios, being the owners of copyrighted works created by Writers Guild of America (WGA) members, have taken no steps to prevent this pilferage. Instead, they’ve permitted tech firms to raid entire libraries without seeking consent or offering fair remuneration. This inactivity on the part of the studios has negatively impacted WGA members.

The Guild’s contract with the studios, known as the MBA, explicitly mandates that the studios safeguard copyrights belonging to writers. In Article 50 of this agreement, it is stated that the studios are responsible for preserving rights reserved for specific original work authors, which they hold “in trust.” Writers who possess separate rights under Article 16.B maintain all other rights in their material, including the right to utilize these works for training artificial intelligence systems. Since the studios hold these rights in a trust-like capacity, they are obligated to prevent unauthorized use of the works for AI training purposes, acting as responsible guardians.

As a movie enthusiast myself, I believe it’s high time the studios stepped up and took a stand. For years, we’ve been battling piracy, only to find tech giants now exploiting our hard-earned content for their monetary advantages. It’s not fair, and it’s certainly not right. We, the studios, should swiftly initiate legal proceedings against any company that has dared to leverage our creators’ works for training AI systems without consent or compensation.

 Sincerely

WGAW Officers  

Meredith Stiehm, President

Michele Mulroney, Vice President

 Betsy Thomas, Secretary-Treasurer 

WGAE Officers

Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President 

Christopher Kyle, Secretary-Treasurer 

Erica Saleh, Vice President, Film/TV/Streaming 

Read More

2024-12-12 23:47