Japanese Lawmakers Are Considering Making AI-Generated Studio Ghibli Images Illegal

by

In response to the widespread acclaim of AI-created images resembling those from Studio Ghibli, which recently went viral online, some Japanese legislators are contemplating banning such creations. These digital artworks, produced using tools like ChatGPT, have ignited a contentious discussion within the animation community.

Focusing on Studio Ghibli’s renowned animation style, globally cherished as a significant aspect of Japanese culture, the use of such imagery has ignited a discussion involving legislators and Hayao Miyazaki regarding potential copyright violations. Now, Japanese lawmakers are considering taking action against the widespread practice of “Ghiblifying” images. During a recent government committee session, ethical and copyright concerns were brought to light by the lawmakers.

As reported by Dexerto, Masato Imai from the Constitutional Democratic Party raised a question regarding the legality of creating AI-generated images in the style of Studio Ghibli, specifically if it could be seen as a copyright violation. Hirohika Nakahara responded that while simple similarities in style or ideas might not constitute copyright infringement, if the AI-generated content is found to be overly reliant on or identical to pre-existing copyrighted works, there could potentially be a case of copyright infringement. Imai further explained that using Ghibli-esque styles and ideas is legal, but passing off an AI-generated image as actual Studio Ghibli work would be unlawful. At this point, the Japanese government has not taken any direct legal action against ChatGPT regarding this issue.

Read More

2025-04-19 08:55