Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 40 minutes ago
Stolen Childhoods: IP Theft, AI and the Battle for Children’s Content.
Children’s IP is some of the most valuable, recognisable and widely exploited content on the internet. Beloved brands are routinely scraped, copied, remixed and monetised at scale, often far beyond the control or even awareness of the original creators.
From well-documented cases of familiar characters appearing in low-quality algorithm-driven videos, to entire episodes being reuploaded for ad revenue, children’s content has become prime material for bad actors. More recently, the rise of AI-generated videos and models trained on existing children’s IP and creative styles has added a new layer of complexity. Content can now be replicated without directly copying assets, making enforcement harder and ownership murkier.
This session explores the growing threat of digital IP theft in the children’s space and asks a harder question: where should producers draw the line between harmful exploitation and genuine fan creativity? Are parodies, tributes and remix culture something to shut down, or can they be embraced without undermining rights, safety and revenue?
Bringing together legal, creatives and producer perspectives, the panel will cut through fear and jargon to offer clear, practical guidance on how children’s producers can protect their IP, respond when theft happens, and future-proof their content in an AI-driven landscape.
Stolen Childhoods: IP Theft, AI and the Battle for Children’s Content.
Children’s IP is some of the most valuable, recognisable and widely exploited content on the internet. Beloved brands are routinely scraped, copied, remixed and monetised at scale, often far beyond the control or even awareness of the original creators.
From well-documented cases of familiar characters appearing in low-quality algorithm-driven videos, to entire episodes being reuploaded for ad revenue, children’s content has become prime material for bad actors. More recently, the rise of AI-generated videos and models trained on existing children’s IP and creative styles has added a new layer of complexity. Content can now be replicated without directly copying assets, making enforcement harder and ownership murkier.
This session explores the growing threat of digital IP theft in the children’s space and asks a harder question: where should producers draw the line between harmful exploitation and genuine fan creativity? Are parodies, tributes and remix culture something to shut down, or can they be embraced without undermining rights, safety and revenue?
Bringing together legal, creatives and producer perspectives, the panel will cut through fear and jargon to offer clear, practical guidance on how children’s producers can protect their IP, respond when theft happens, and future-proof their content in an AI-driven landscape.
