Who owns an AI video? Rights and disclosure when you commission one
Agree it in writing before the work starts: who owns the delivered film, which tools and licensed elements were used, how real or public people may be shown, and how the film is labelled. Rules vary by country, so check with counsel.
Made with AIWho owns an AI video? The short answer is that it depends on your contract, the tools used and the country. So the useful question is what you agree before the work starts. This page lists those points for a marketing director commissioning a film. It is not legal advice. Laws here are moving, and they vary by market, so take this list to your counsel.
Who owns an AI video: three separate questions
"Ownership" hides three different questions. Keep them apart.
What does the contract give you? Between you and the studio, this is the part you control. A contract can say that the delivered film is yours, or licensed to you for set uses, territories and periods. Do not assume either. Some studios state commercial rights in their published scope, as CEMA does for its Dubai AI ads. Others leave it to the contract. Ask for it in writing.
What do the tool terms allow? Each generator has its own terms, and they can differ between plans. A studio should be able to tell you which tools it used, and confirm that their terms allow commercial use.
What does copyright law protect? AI video copyright is unsettled. In some countries, material with no human authorship may not qualify for protection. Human work, such as the script, the selection of takes and the edit, is the stronger ground. This matters if you later want to stop someone copying your film. Ask counsel how this works where you operate.
A contract can settle the first question. It cannot change the third.
What to agree in writing before you commission
Use this as a checklist. Each line is worth a sentence in the contract.
| Point | Agree this |
|---|---|
| Final film | Do you own it, or license it? For what uses, where and how long? |
| Source files | Do you get keyframes, prompts, project files or only the master? |
| Tools | Which tools were used, on which plans, and do they allow commercial use? |
| Licensed elements | Music, voice, fonts, stock: who holds each licence, and on what terms? |
| Your inputs | The studio may use your product shots and logos for this project only |
| Training | Will your material or film be used to train any model? |
| Real people | Who gets permission, in what form, and who keeps the records? |
| Public figures | Who approves any depiction, and who reviews the legal risk? |
| Label | What wording, and where does it appear? |
| Warranty | What does the studio confirm about its inputs, and what happens on a claim? |
| Portfolio | May the studio show the film, and when? |
Two lines catch people out. Licensed elements often have their own limits, so a film you own can still hold music you may only use for a year. Portfolio runs both ways. A studio needs your approval to show your film and your logo.
Using real people in AI video
Real people raise the most serious questions. There are several different cases here.
Your staff or a paid actor. If a person's face or voice is used to train or drive a model, get their permission for that exact use. Say what it covers, how long, and what happens if they leave. A general filming release may not cover it, so check.
A cloned voice. Treat a voice like a face. Agree the same points before anyone clones it.
Recognisable people in the background. A generated face can look like someone by chance. Review for this. In a film about a real place or community, it deserves a second look.
Public and historic figures. This is the hard one. Some AI films dramatise public or historic figures, and ours include such films. They are labelled as AI like every other film. Labelling is not the same thing as clearance, though. Depending on the market, personality rights, estates, defamation and advertising rules may all apply. The context matters as well: a tribute in a cultural film is a different question from a figure appearing to endorse a product. Take any such use to counsel before you generate it.
Testimonials. Do not use an AI-generated person as a customer, employee or witness. For a real statement from a real person, we recommend filming them.
Data rules can also apply to a face or a voice. Ask counsel how the personal data rules in each of your markets treat them. At least one Saudi guide to AI ads raises consent and SDAIA, the national data authority, so bring that question to your review.
What a frame check looks like
Rights problems often sit in details no one wrote into the script. A named product, a logo, a shop sign or a face can appear in a clip that nobody asked to contain one. None of this shows in a file name or a thumbnail. Someone has to look.
Ask for the same on your film. A generated scene can invent a sign, a logo or a face you never asked for. Watch at full size, and freeze on anything that looks like a real brand or a real person.
Disclosure: how an AI film is labelled
Agree the label at the same time as the rights. The IAB framework is a good starting point for advertising, and even AI tool vendors such as Runway flag disclosure in their guidance. Platforms and regulators may have rules of their own, so check each market.
Here is what we do, and you can hold us to it:
- Every AI film we make is labelled. The line is: Made with AI. Directed by people.
- AI people are never presented as real testimonials.
- A person approves every frame.
We also tell clients which tools and licensed elements were used in their film. Read the AI disclosure policy in full, and our guide to labelling AI in ads for where a label goes on each platform.
Five questions for any studio about AI video rights
- Which tools will you use, and do their terms allow commercial use on the plan you hold?
- What exactly do we receive at the end, and for what uses?
- Who holds the licences for music, voice and fonts?
- How do you handle real people, and public figures?
- Will our material be used to train anything?
A good studio answers these without hesitation. A vague answer tells you something too.
AI video rights questions
Can someone else use the same AI footage?
It can happen. Terms differ, and two prompts can come out alike, so ask whether the tool gives any exclusivity. Your script, your edit and your brand make a film yours in ways a single clip cannot.
Can a generated film infringe someone else's work?
It may, for example if it closely resembles a known character, brand or artist's style. Ask for a review before delivery, and agree who carries the risk in the contract.
Do we need a lawyer for this?
For a small social clip, your standard terms and this checklist may be enough. For a campaign, a real person's likeness or a public figure, yes. Rules vary by country, and this page is not legal advice.
