Pulman Comments on Legal Gray Areas in AI-Created Film Content
Pryor Cashman Partner Simon Pulman, Co-Chair of the firm’s Media + Entertainment and Film, TV + Podcast Groups and Co-Chair of the M+E Transactions and Financing Practice, was quoted in Vanity Fair’s recent feature, “Hollywood’s Monkey-Selfie Problem: Who Would Actually Own a Movie Made by AI?” The article explores the evolving and uncertain legal terrain surrounding copyright ownership of AI-generated creative works.
In discussing the complexities of AI training models and intellectual property, Vanity Fair highlighted Pulman’s concerns about the enforceability of existing entertainment contracts in a rapidly changing landscape. He pointed to the risks studios face when leveraging AI models trained on licensed properties before full compensation or production obligations have been met.
Pulman emphasized the challenge of transparency and accountability in AI usage:
“How can you verify [what’s been used]? […] How can you audit these things? At great expense...and in some instances, it may actually be impossible.”
He also addressed the broader uncertainty in dealmaking across the entertainment sector:
“I’m not seeing a huge amount of clarity within the industry, [in terms of] dealmaking, yet.”
As questions of copyright, authorship, and compensation grow more complex with AI’s expanding role in content creation, Pulman noted the stakes go beyond legal frameworks:
“This is going to come down to a societal choice[.] […] What do we value more? The protection of art? Or this exponential growth machine that AI is perceived to be?”
Read the full article at Vanity Fair using the link below (subscription may be required).
