Q: Disney has recently published a face re-aging algorithm. Is that protected? Can we use it for our low budget production?
We are a young company from Germany trying to find out where we can use Disney's paper on Production-Ready Face Re-Aging for a music video we are producing as an educational project, with an extensive making of. While I am pretty sure one may do that without asking, I don't know if we'll be in the area of commercial usage if we plan on submitting our results to festivals and win prizes.
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A:
It's great that you're considering using cutting-edge technology for your project. Disney's face re-aging algorithm, like most proprietary technologies, is likely protected by intellectual property laws, including patents or copyrights. While the research paper itself might be publicly accessible, the underlying software or method is probably not freely available for commercial use without proper licensing or permissions.
If your project involves submitting to festivals or potentially earning money through prizes or other means, it could be considered commercial usage. In that case, using Disney’s proprietary algorithm without a license might expose your production to legal risks. Even if your project is educational, sharing it widely in public venues may require you to secure the necessary permissions.
To avoid any legal complications, you may want to explore alternatives, such as open-source face-aging algorithms or developing your own technique. This way, you can focus on the creative aspects of your music video without concerns about licensing issues.
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