Tag Archives: artificial intelligence

Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion AI Copyright Settlement is Approved

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Anthropic

A judge has signed off on the $1.5 billion settlement of a class action lawsuit against Anthropic for its misuse of their books to train their AI.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin granted the approval, the largest known settlement of a U.S. copyright case, and rejected claims that the settlement was too small.

The deal was initially approved in September 2025 by now-retired Judge William Alsup.

The lawsuit was launched in 2024 and said that Anthropic used books without permission to teach the artificial system, Claude.

The ruling was a bit mixed in that some of the use was ruled as fair use but the company was nailed for saving more than 7 million pirated books into a “central library.” A trial was scheduled for December.

Authors and other copyright holders filed claims covering over 92% of the more than 480,000 works included ​in the settlement, an attorney for the authors said during a court hearing.

Some authors believed the settlement was not large enough and that the attorneys were receiving too much from the settlement. The attorneys were receiving more than $101 million of their $187.5 million in their requested fees.

Separate lawsuits have been filed by authors who have opted out of the settlement.

Japanese Government Considering Subsidies to Boost the Overseas Marketing of Anime, Manga, and more

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Japanese yen

To help boost the marketing and anime, manga, and other forms of entertainment overseas, the Japanese government is considering subsidies totaling ¥11.5 billion (about $7.5 million US dollars). The subsidies would go to 15 companies and aim to triple overseas sales to ¥20 trillion by 2033.

Companies eligible for the support would include five in the anime sector, six in music/gaming/live-action sectors, and 4 in manga. Companies mention include Crunchyroll, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., Shueisha, Kodansha Ltd., Square Enix Co. and NTT Solmare Corp.

Overseas sales of manga and other forms of entertainment have reached ¥6.13 trillion (about $4 million US dollars) in 2024. That’s more than semiconductor exports which were ¥6.08 trillion.

The manga and anime industry have faced issues with piracy with estimates that 2025 losses were ¥5.7 trillion which was up from ¥2 trillion in 2022.

The subsidies would aim to boost the speed by which releases could make it to overseas markets by using generative artificial intelligence to translate the work. By increasing the translation speed and number of languages it might decrease piracy.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has names the “content industry” as one of 17 fields for investment as part of the government’s growth strategy.

AHOY Comics Adopts Matt Kindt’s “100% Human-Made” Open-Source Certification For All Upcoming Releases

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AHOY Comics has announced that it will adopt New York Times best-selling creator Matt Kindt’s “100% Human-Made” emblem on all their future titles. The new, open-source certification for comics, graphic novels, and other visual, musical and audio forms of creative work is designed to designate them as fully derived from the human imagination and otherwise free of elements designed or enhanced by generative artificial intelligence. The first AHOY title to bear the new emblem will be The Forgotten Divine, a satirical science fiction drama from writer Mark Russell and artist Russ Braun. The Forgotten Divine is the first of AHOY’s new AHOY Select line, their pop-up imprint for direct to consumer releases, and is being funded via AHOY’s inaugural Kickstarter campaign. The campaign i now live.

AI is rightly loathed throughout the world of legitimate comics, and we want to make it clear to our readers that AHOY is 100% powered by the very human blood, sweat and tears of our uber-talented creators.

-Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. 

Featuring an emblem designed by Kindt himself that will first debut on June’s Ming MGMT: New & Improved #1 – part of his new Flux House imprint at Oni Press, which will launch a brand-new beginning for the creator’s widely acclaimed comics masterpiece – the “100% Human-Made” certification is created under the Creative Commons “Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International” license. Under those terms, artists seeking to utilize the “100% Human-Made” certification can “distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format” for commercial and not-for-profit purposes, as long as it carries the following Creative Commons attribution:

100% HUMAN-MADE © 2026 by Matt Kindt, LLC is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

100% Human-Made

Summit Comics makes the 100% Human-Made Pledge

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100% Human-Made

In April, Matt Kindt declared comics from his Flux House imprint would be “100% Human-Made.” And with that, Kindt also launched a new, open-source certification for comics, graphic novels, and other visual, musical and audio forms of creative work to designate them as fully derived of the human imagination and otherwise free of elements designed or enhanced by generative artificial intelligence.

That featured an emblem designed by Kindt that was free to use under a Creative Commons license.

Today, Summit Comics has committed to that movement declaring their comics 100% Human-Made with the badge appearing on their indie comics.

Check out Summit’s statement below.

The very foundation of Summit Comics is rooted in the small press creator, folks who throw every fiber of their being into the production of their stories. The people who kick, scratch, and claw their way through one campaign or convention after the next, hoping to get whatever eyes to read their stories they can.

Because that’s been part of ethos since the beginning, and since it will remain central to it until the end of days, the partners behind Summit Comics, LLC are choosing to take the 100% Human-Made Pledge.

First introduced by comics writer Matt Kindt earlier this year, the 100% Human-Made badge has started appearing on or in indie comics on the shelves at your local comic store.

Moving forward, the badge will appear on every release from Summit Comics too. In no way, shape, or form is Generative AI allowed in the writing or production of any Summit Comics titles—regardless if they’re owned by the company or one of our creator partners.

The hands that make Summit Comics will always be human, we partners pledge that to comic readers everywhere.

Signed,
The partners of Summit Comics, LLC

Stan Lee’s Voice and Likeness are Coming to AI Slop

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Stan Lee at the Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona. Via Gage Skidmore Flickr
Stan Lee at the Phoenix Comicon in Phoenix, Arizona. Via Gage Skidmore Flickr

We apparently can’t let the dead rest and AI will superpower the exploitation of them for years to come. ElevenLabs has acquired the rights to Stan Lee‘s voice and likeness to be used to narrate books in the Eleven Reader App.

Under a deal with Stan Lee Universe, the Stan Lee Book of the Month Club will debut with Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. An additional 11 books will be adapted over the year.

The tech uses professional recordings with Lee’s voice available on ElevenLabs’ Iconic Voice Marketplace and his likeness available on ElevenLabs Image & Video Marketplace. Music inspired by the “aesthetic and energy” of Lee’s imagination has also been created.

Stan Lee passed away in 2018 at the age of 95. There are claims of abuse that began in his last few years, leading to an individual charged, and it’s been a topic of discussion in the years since his passing. Stan Lee Universe has had no issues slapping the iconic Lee’s name and visage on to products over the years and soon it’ll be virtually.

Disney, Warner Bros., Universal and Midjourney Discovery Dispute Kicked to Late May

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In February, a plan was hashed out between Disney, Warner Bros.,Universal, and Midjourney over discovery when it comes to their possible trial. In March a dispute was brought up by the various parties over discovery and the numerous parties need the judge to hash things out.

While a conference was take place on March 12, it now looks like that has been moved until March 22. From a filing released today:

The parties have requested an informal discovery conference with Magistrate Judge A. Joel Richlin. Counsel for each party has submitted their respective positions and the issue will be adjudicated in accordance with the Magistrate Judge’s procedure.

Date/Time: May 22, 2026 at 09:00 AM

In June 2025, studios started to sue Midjourney. In multiple lawsuits, they claimed the AI platform was a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.” In November, Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. consolidated their two cases into one. Their cases were similar and made similar claims against the tech company.

This case impacts the comics community as both Marvel (via Disney) and DC Comics (via Warner Bros.) are part of the plaintiffs and specifically mentioned in filings.

We haven’t see what the dispute is but will update this article with more details or a full report when a decision is made.

Below is the original dispute document as well as the latest filing:

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Matt Kindt’s Flux House Unveils “100% Human-Made” Open-Source Certification for Comics Creators

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Oni Press has revealed Matt Kindt’s newest initiative in advance of the forthcoming launch of the creator’s Flux House imprint: “100% Human-Made” – a new, open-source certification for comics, graphic novels, and other visual, musical and audio forms of creative work to designate them as fully derived of the human imagination and otherwise free of elements designed or enhanced by generative artificial intelligence. 

Featuring an emblem designed by Kindt himself that will first debut on June’s Mind MGMT: New & Improved #1 – launching a brand-new beginning for the creator’s widely acclaimed comics masterpiece at Oni Press – the “100% Human-Made” certification is created under the Creative Commons “Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International” license. Under those terms, artists seeking to utilize the “100% Human-Made” certification can “distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format” for commercial and not-for-profit purposes, as long as it carries the following Creative Commons attribution:

100% HUMAN-MADE © 2026 by Matt Kindt, LLC is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Potential users can download a high-resolution .eps copy of the 100% HUMAN-MADE emblem HERE and at OniPress.com. 

100% Human-Made

Midjourney Files a Motion to Compel against Disney and Warner Bros. in AI Fight

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While the comic world is mainly focused on the court drama that is Diamond’s chapter 11/chapter 7, we’ve also made sure to keep track of other major cases making their way through the courts. One that may have just as big an impact on the world of comics is the lawsuit by Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery against Midjourney.

In June of 2025, Disney and Universal launched a lawsuit against Midjourney over what they called its “bottomless pit of plagiarism” that generates “endless unauthorized copies.” Warner Bros. Discovery launched their lawsuit in September for similar reasons, and those two separate lawsuits were combined in November.

Marvel and DC Comics are both named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit with characters from each being used as examples of Midjourney’s theft.

The parties have been figuring out discovery in the case, the part where they each hand over relevant documents to each other so they can go over evidence. Documents can be relevant emails, text messages, memos, etc. Discovery has been a bumpy process with a place hashed out in February and then a dispute happening March that went before the judge.

Now, Midjourney has filed to compel the complainants to produce further documents in response Midjourney’s Requests for Production (the process of getting the documents during discovery).

In other words, Midjourney believes Disney, Universal, and/or Warner Bros. Discovery are holding back documents or there’s more documents than what they’ve received. Midjourney is asking a judge to step in to make them hand over more documents to Midjourney. This is a pretty big action, much like going to a teacher to settle a dispute you should be able to have handled yourselves.

In the world of discovery, this is potentially a big deal and shows this court case might be having some drama and animosity behind the scenes.

Below is the main motion and we’ll update with more supporting documents when we can.

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OpenAI shuts down SORA and with it goes Disney’s Billion Dollar Investment

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Sora

OpenAI is shutting down Sora, the generative-AI video creation platform that was launched in 2024. No specifics were given as to why, the Sora team released a statement:

We’re saying goodbye to Sora. To everyone who created with Sora, shared it, and built community around it: thank you. What you made with Sora mattered, and we know this news is disappointing.

We’ll share more soon, including timelines for the app and API and details on preserving your work. – The Sora Team

With the shutdown, goes the investment Disney promised just three months ago. The two companies announced a three-year licensing agreement that allowed Sora to use some Disney intellectual property from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars, for the creation of videos. Those videos were going to be added to Disney+ in a new curated section. That deal included a $1 billion stake in OpenAI.

That’s now evaporated like the value of an NFT.

Disney released a statement to Variety:

As the nascent AI field advances rapidly, we respect OpenAI’s decision to exit the video generation business and to shift its priorities elsewhere. We appreciate the constructive collaboration between our teams and what we learned from it, and we will continue to engage with AI platforms to find new ways to meet fans where they are while responsibly embracing new technologies that respect IP and the rights of creators.

While Disney cut a deal with OpenAI it has been more adversarial with other platforms including sending Google a cease-and desist demand and it, along with Universal and Warner Bros., are suing Midjourney.

GlobalComix Updates its AI Content Policy Removing Fully AI Generated Works

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GlobalComix

Last week, GlobalComix announced it closed a $13 million round of funding by AI friendly investors and acquired INKR, a digital manga/comics platform with AI tools focused on translation. That news put a new spotlight on GlobalComix and its policy towards AI and comics.

At the time their policy stated:

We allow AI comics to be uploaded at this time, although that may change in the future. We also reserve the right to remove AI content at our discretion.

There are a few key things to be aware of regarding AI content, and by uploading to GlobalComix, you agree to these:

You must disclose the use of AI, whether visual(Art) or written(Story), as part of the release upload process
AI content is not eligible for monetization at this time, including but not limited to GlobalComix Gold revenue and PDF sales
The donation button is disabled in releases utilizing AI Art
We take violations of this policy very seriously. Repeat infractions, particularly around disclosure, may result in actions taken against your creator profile and GlobalComix account.

As you can imagine, the renewed highlighting of GlobalComix’s acceptance of AI and the investment and acquisition within that space raised concerns by creators whose comics are available on the digital comics platform.

GlobalComix has updated their policy this week with what feels like a 180 turn from the previous one. While it doesn’t prevent the use of AI within the creation process, it does prevent “fully AI generated works” from the platform.

TLDR;

  • GlobalComix changes policy to remove fully AI generated works
  • These works have been hidden today from the platform
  • Our content team is working through finding mislabeled/undisclosed AI contents
  • We support using AI tools supporting creator workflows, but not as fully generated

GlobalComix is, first and foremost, a home for human creativity.

We recognize that emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), can be used as creative tools, but also that their use raises valid concerns about originality, respect for artists’ rights and quality.

In this policy, we wanted to:

  • Prioritize and protect human artistry
  • Protect our creators and their work
  • Enable creativity and expression across skills and use cases
  • Create forward-looking guidelines and create a stable environment for creators as tools and technologies continue to evolve
  • Set clear expectations for when and how AI-generated or AI-assisted materials can appear and be monetized on GlobalComix.

Our Principles

GlobalComix celebrates human storytelling, art, and originality.

We want creators to be able to thrive from their art and artistry.

AI tools may be used to assist creative work, but they should never fully remove the human from the workflow.

When AI Use Is Acceptable in Comics

  • The uploader has full rights and licenses to use the AI tools and any resulting outputs.
  • AI is used for supporting or enhancing a creator’s original work (for example, coloring assistance, idea exploration, background generation, effects, animation).
  • When AI tools are used as a part in the broader creative workflow in concert with human artistry.
  • The creator discloses AI involvement clearly when it forms a meaningful part of the artwork or writing (e.g., in the release description or credits).

GlobalComix may provide exceptions to our policy on the use of AI with regards to content creation when considering the guidelines above.

If GlobalComix requests material documenting licenses to characters, likenesses, intellectual property, or copyrights, it is the burden of the uploader to provide said material. When evidence is not provided in a timely manner, we will assume that these criteria have not been met.

Anyone considering uploading content utilizing generative AI should email content-violation@globalcomix.com and a member of our team will review the submission.

When AI Use Is Not Acceptable

Content that violates any of the following will not be allowed:

  • Generated AI graphics that imitate or copy another creator’s intellectual property, style, likeness, or characters without permission.
  • Works that misrepresent AI outputs as entirely human-made.
  • AI-generated content that violates GlobalComix’s broader obscenity or hate-speech rules, including depictions of sexualized minors or sexual violence.
  • Works where visuals are made fully via Gen AI prompts, instead of using AI as just one tool among many in a broader creative workflow.

If there is doubt about the origin of a work, GlobalComix may ask for supporting information (such as which AI tools were used, or documentation of rights).

Anyone considering uploading content utilizing generative AI should email content-violation@globalcomix.com and a member of our team will review the submission.

Protecting Creator Rights

  • GlobalComix will not use creator-uploaded content to train Generative Visual AI models without the creator’s explicit opt-in consent if such systems are ever developed.
  • Uploading content to GlobalComix does not grant third parties permission to train AI on that work unless the creator explicitly grants permission.

Monetization of AI-Generated Work

Content that is created with human artistry, but uses AI assisted tools (examples listed in section 7) can be monetized.

GlobalComix reserves the right to decide what qualifies as acceptable content and may remove monetization from any work it determines lacks sufficient original artistry from the creator.

Review and Updates

As laws, technologies, and community standards evolve, this policy may be updated.

GlobalComix will publish updates explaining how new policies affect both human and AI-assisted creators.

Questions or concerns about AI use can be sent to content-violation@globalcomix.com.

Examples of acceptable use of AI

Clip Studio Colorize & Smooth, Tone Remove features

https://help.clip-studio.com/en-us/manual_en/390_filters/AI_Tools.htm

Reasoning: These features empower creators and work as a small part of the creative process. Subjectivity, taste and creative decision-making is used extensively while creating the end product.

Adobe Illustrator AI features

https://www.adobe.com/learn/illustrator/web/illustrator-generative-ai-introduction

Reasoning: These features empower creators and work as a small part of the creative process. Subjectivity, taste and creative decision-making is used extensively while creating the end product.

Adobe Photoshop AI features (including generative fill)

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/ai.html

Reasoning: These features empower creators and work as a small part of the creative process. Subjectivity, taste and creative decision-making is used extensively while creating the end product.

Custom Trained Visual Generation Models

Reasoning: It’s acceptable to use Generative AI to create visuals based on original and owned artwork. Original character design and world building is required to train the model, and the output needs to be composed to a final comic product with artistry and creative decision-making.

Retouching AI features

Reasoning: Using software and tools that edit original artwork (e.g. changing colors, up-scaling, smoothing, changing select details) is allowed as they work as a single step in a larger workflow that requires subjectivity and creative decision-making.

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