Sam Altman Releases Sora Product Update #1: Copyright Control and Revenue Sharing Changes
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman published Sora Product Update #1 on his personal blog, announcing two major updates set to be implemented soon. This marks the first significant product adjustment since Sora’s official launch, demonstrating OpenAI’s rapid iteration strategy based on user feedback.
📢 Two Major Updates Announced by Sam Altman
First Update: Granular Copyright Control for Rightsholders
Sam Altman stated in his blog that OpenAI will provide rightsholders with more granular control over character generation. This feature is similar to the previous opt-in model for likeness but with additional controls.
What is “Interactive Fan Fiction”?
Sam Altman defines Sora’s creative format as “Interactive Fan Fiction”. He mentioned in his blog:
Rightsholders’ Needs and Expectations
According to Sam Altman’s description, rightsholders want to:
- Specify clearly how their characters can be used
- Choose complete prohibition of any usage
- Try different approaches to manage character licensing
OpenAI plans to let rightsholders decide how to proceed, while hoping the product becomes compelling enough to attract more rightsholders to participate voluntarily.
Technical Implementation Challenges
Sam Altman acknowledged that there may be edge cases during implementation, with some violating content potentially getting through that shouldn’t. He stated that getting the technical stack to work well will take some iteration.
Second Update: Revenue Sharing Model
Background of Cost Pressures
Sam Altman explained the rationale behind introducing the revenue sharing model:
“People are generating much more than we expected per user, and a lot of videos are being generated for very small audiences. We are going to have to somehow make money for video generation.”
Specific Revenue Sharing Plans
OpenAI plans to try a revenue sharing model:
- If user-created videos involve rightsholders’ characters
- OpenAI will share corresponding revenue with rightsholders
- The exact model will take some trial and error to figure out
- They plan to start very soon
Sam Altman hopes that the new kind of engagement will be even more valuable than the revenue share itself.
🇯🇵 Special Mention: Japanese Users’ Creative Performance
In the product update, Sam Altman specifically highlighted the remarkable creative output of Japan:
“In particular, we’d like to acknowledge the remarkable creative output of Japan–we are struck by how deep the connection between users and Japanese content is!”
This indicates:
- Japanese market shows outstanding performance in Sora usage
- Japanese content (such as anime characters) is deeply loved by users
- Creative quality has reached levels that amazed the OpenAI team
🔄 Product Iteration Philosophy: Like Early ChatGPT Days
Sam Altman compared the current product strategy to early ChatGPT:
“Please expect a very high rate of change from us; it reminds me of the early days of ChatGPT.”
Iteration Strategy Explanation
- Quick decisions: Will make some good decisions and some missteps
- Timely feedback: Will take feedback and try to fix missteps very quickly
- Internal first: Plan to do iteration on different approaches in Sora first, then apply consistently across products
📝 Original Article Information
Sam Altman’s blog post was published on his personal website: blog.samaltman.com/sora-update-number-1
Original English Title
“Sora update #1”
Key English Terms
- Interactive Fan Fiction: Interactive fan fiction
- Opt-in model for likeness: Opt-in model for likeness
- More granular control: More granular control
- Revenue sharing: Revenue sharing
🎯 Significance for Sora Users
Changes Creators Need to Know
- Copyright compliance: Need to pay more attention to character copyright issues in the future
- Revenue opportunities: May earn revenue sharing through quality content
- Creative freedom: Enjoy richer creative possibilities within compliance framework
New Opportunities for Rightsholders
- Granular control: Can more accurately manage character usage rights
- Revenue streams: Gain new income streams through AI creation
- Fan engagement: Establish new ways to interact with fans
📅 Implementation Timeline
Sam Altman stated these two updates will be implemented soon (“We are going to make two changes soon”), but didn’t provide a specific timeline. He emphasized there will be many more updates to come (“and many more to come”).
💬 Community Response
According to Sam Altman’s description, different groups’ reactions:
Rightsholders’ Response
- Very excited: Excited about this new form of “interactive fan fiction”
- Value recognition: Consider it a very valuable new type of engagement
- Control needs: Want to clearly control how their characters are used
User Usage Patterns
- Beyond expectations: Each user’s creation volume far exceeds OpenAI’s expectations
- Scattered audiences: Many videos have very small viewing audiences
- Outstanding creativity: Especially Japanese users showing remarkable creative performance
🔍 Key Terms Explanation
To help users better understand this update, we explain several key concepts:
Sora Product Updates
- Definition: Regular Sora product updates and improvement announcements from OpenAI
- Frequency: This is the first issue, with more expected in the future
- Content: Includes new features, policy adjustments, user feedback, etc.
Rightsholder Granular Control
- Purpose: Protect intellectual property, balance creative freedom with copyright protection
- Scope: Character appearance, usage scenarios, commercial use, and other dimensions
- Implementation: Identify and control specific character generation through technical means
Revenue Sharing Model
- Background: High video generation costs require sustainable business model
- Mechanism: Three-way revenue distribution among rightsholders, creators, and platform
- Goal: Achieve win-win development for all ecosystem participants
🎬 What This Means for the Community
For Content Creators
- Enhanced opportunities: Potential to earn from quality content creation
- Compliance awareness: Need to understand copyright guidelines better
- Creative tools: Access to new forms of visual storytelling
For Rightsholders
- Control mechanisms: Ability to set precise usage parameters
- New revenue streams: Monetization through AI-generated content
- Fan engagement: Deeper connection with audience through interactive content
For Users
- Quality content: Better content as creators have incentives
- Diverse options: More varied content as rightsholders participate
- Community growth: Stronger creator ecosystem
📊 Business Model Innovation
The revenue sharing approach represents a significant shift in AI content generation:
| Stakeholder | Revenue Source | Value Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Rightsholders | Character licensing fees | IP value and brand influence |
| Creators | Content creation share | Creative content and user engagement |
| Platform | Technology service fees | AI technology and platform operation |
| Users | Creative experience value | Content consumption and community participation |
🚀 Looking Forward
Short-term Expectations (Next 3-6 months)
- Copyright control system launch: Implementation of granular character usage controls
- Revenue sharing pilot: Small-scale revenue sharing model testing
- Technical optimizations: Feature improvements based on user feedback
Medium-term Outlook (6-18 months)
- Global expansion: International market expansion based on Japanese experience
- Ecosystem maturity: Stable creator-rightsholder-platform ecosystem formation
- Technical breakthroughs: More efficient generation algorithms and precise control mechanisms
Long-term Vision (18+ months)
- Industry standards: Establishing AI video creation industry standards
- Cross-platform integration: Deep integration with other OpenAI products
- New business models: Exploring more innovative commercialization paths
💡 Practical Recommendations
For Creators
- Copyright awareness: Understand relevant copyright laws and platform rules
- Skill development: Learn effective prompt engineering and creation techniques
- Community participation: Actively engage in creator communities for experience sharing
- Business mindset: Consider how to turn creation into sustainable income
For Rightsholders
- Strategy development: Create clear AI creation licensing strategies
- Technical cooperation: Establish effective technical integration with platforms
- Community building: Foster and maintain fan creation communities
- Value assessment: Establish evaluation systems for AI creation value
Conclusion
Sam Altman’s Sora Product Update #1 demonstrates OpenAI’s commitment to building a balanced, sustainable creative ecosystem. By implementing granular copyright controls and innovative revenue sharing, Sora is pioneering new approaches to AI-generated content that benefit all stakeholders.
This “learn-as-we-build” iteration approach reflects both the agility of tech companies and the unique characteristics of AI-era product development. For the entire AI video creation industry, Sora’s explorations will provide important references for establishing industry standards and mature business models.
We’ll continue monitoring Sora’s product development to provide the latest insights and analysis for creators and industry participants.
Want to learn more Sora techniques and industry updates? Follow our Technical Guides and Creative Practices to start your AI video creation journey!