Update 2: It appears that the letter this article referred to is fake. The phone number doesn’t exist and the company that sent the notice isn’t legitimate either. As such, we retract this article. The original article follows below:
Barely a day has passed since the Studio Ghibli trend had taken over the internet with thousands of people sharing their “Ghiblified” images, but the lawyers at the animation studio have reportedly already swung into action.
Studio Ghibli has sent a cease and desist letter to at least one app that was looking to capitalize on the viral trend. Gib was an app that was announced yesterday which claimed to be “Instagram, but every photo is Studio Ghibli”. The app hadn’t been created, and its website only featured an email link to join the waitlist, with a background of what looked like a Studio Ghibli-inspired image.
But the app’s creators now say that they’ve received a cease-and-desist from Studio Ghibli’s lawyers. “Just got this cease and desist from Studio Ghibli,” wrote X user tj_littlejohn, who had earlier announced the app. “AI creators deserve protection, not punishment. Expression is sacred. Imagination is not illegal If I have to be a martyr to prove that, so be it. I’m assembling a legal team Firms who believe in this fight, reach out,” he added.
“We are legal representatives of Studio Ghibli, Inc. (“Studio Ghibli”), the world-renowned animation studio responsible for original motion pictures such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and others,” the letter says. “Studio Ghibli is the exclusive owner of all associated intellectual property rights, including visual style, character likenesses, thematic elements, and trademarks.”
“It has come to our attention that your company has developed and publicly launched an application under the name “Gib”, described as “a photo sharing app that turns all photos into Studio Ghibli style images.” This product appears to heavily borrow from Studio Ghibli’s artistic style, branding cues, and thematic presentation, and it references our studio by name in marketing and promotional materials,” it adds.
“Please be advised that this constitutes unauthorized use and misappropriation of Studio Ghibli’s copyrighted works, trade dress, and brand name, and it is likely to cause confusion among consumers regarding endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation — none of which exist,” it continues.
“Accordingly, we demand that you: 1. Immediately cease and desist all use of the Studio Ghibli name, references to its style, characters, or films in all promotional, descriptive, or functional aspects of your app or business; 2. Terminate the availability and distribution of the app “Gib” in all platforms, including but not limited to the Apple App Store, Google Play, and any third-party marketplaces; 3. Remove or take down all marketing materials, websites, and social media content that reference Studio Ghibli or utilize similar visual elements; 4. Provide us with written assurance within seven (7) days of the date of this letter confirming your compliance with the above demands. Failure to comply will leave us no choice but to pursue legal remedies, including seeking injunctive relief, statutory and actual damages, and attorneys’ fees, without further notice,” the notice says.
It’s not surprising that Studio Ghibli has taken legal recourse to stop its brand being used in such a fashion. The generation of the images themselves might be a legal grey area that the courts will adjudicate on — it’s unclear whether Studio Ghibli have copyright on images that are drawn in its distinctive style — it does seem a lot more apparent that they would have legal ownership for their brand name itself. As such, any app that promises ‘Studio Ghibli’ style images could well be infringing upon its copyright, and their lawyers might have a case under copyright law. Also, Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki had once called AI art “an awful insult to life”, so it could be safe to assume he’s not a fan of what’s happening. It remains to be seen how these issues play out going forward, but precedents set in this case could determine how AI companies deal with artistic copyright in the times to come.
Update: Another similar app, named Ghiblified.app, which converted images into the Ghibli style, has also said that its service is “temporarily unavailable” because of copyright considerations. “We’re currently working through some copyright considerations to ensure we can provide this service in alignment with all proper guidelines and permissions,” its homepage says.
