BREAKING: YOUTUBE DEMONETIZES AI VIDEO FAN FICTION MOVIE TRAILERS, CHANGES ALSO COMING TO R/AIVIDEO

UPDATED 4/2

We knew this day was coming; we just didn’t know it would be this fast. If you’re an AI video creator who has been relentlessly producing AI video fan fiction movie trailers for every IP imaginable over the past two years, you might want to sit down—your operation has come to an end.

Jake Kanter reporting for DEADLINE

📸 PHOTO: Jake Kanter reporting for DEADLINE

Over the last four days, an investigation by DEADLINE https://deadline.com/2025/03/inside-youtube-fake-movie-trailers-1236352406/ into AI video fan fiction movie trailers stealing film and TV industry intellectual property has resulted among other things, in YouTube demonetizing two channels with a combined 2 million subscribers https://deadline.com/2025/03/youtube-ad-revenue-fake-movie-trailer-screen-culture-1236354143/

EDIT: One of the craziest facts to come out of this investigation is that 23 different versions of the Fantastic Four trailer were uploaded to one of the accounts over the last year.

Jake Kanter reporting for DEADLINE

📸 PHOTO: Jake Kanter reporting for DEADLINE

DEADLINE argues that AI video fan fiction content has become so convincing that people can no longer distinguish it from official intellectual property. The line between real and fake has effectively disappeared.

EDIT2: SAG-AFTRA has made the following statement to DEADLINE:

“Monetizing unauthorized, unwanted, and subpar uses of human-centered IP is a race to the bottom. It incentivizes technology companies and short-term gains at the expense of lasting human creative endeavor”

"Just as SAG-AFTRA is aggressively bargaining contract terms and creating laws to protect and enforce our members’ voice and likeness rights, we expect our bargaining partners to aggressively enforce their IP from any, and all AI misappropriation"

⚠️ IN RESPONSE TO YOUTUBE’S ACTIONS AND SAG-AFTRA’S STATEMENTS TO DEADLINE, WE WILL BE UPDATING OUR COMMUNITY RULES AT R/AIVIDEO. STARTING AT THE END OF THIS WEEK, WE WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT VIDEOS THAT INFRINGE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.

⚠️ COMEDY SKITS, PARODIES, AND SATIRICAL CONTENT ARE PERMITTED AS THEY FALL UNDER PARODY LAWS; HOWEVER, THEY MUST CLEARLY BE INTENDED FOR COMEDIC PURPOSES AND FOLLOW A FORMAT SIMILAR TO AN SNL SKIT. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PUBLIC FIGURES MAY STILL BE USED, PROVIDED THE CONTENT IS GENUINELY PARODIC OR SATIRICAL.

We encourage creators to explore original concepts and push the boundaries of AI video content without relying on existing IP. The future of AI video is about innovation and creativity—not imitation.

MORE AI VIDEO INDUSTRY NEWS https://www.reddit.com/r/aivideo/wiki/news/