COLUMBUS, Ohio - TelAve -- Film has the power to inspire, challenge, heal, and shape the world. But according to Kary Oberbrunner, CEO of Instant IP, the same creators who move culture are now facing a serious threat: AI systems that scrape, train on, and steal creative work without consent, attribution, or compensation.

That is why Instant IP has launched Protect the Filmᴵᴾ, a new initiative designed to help actors, producers, directors, writers, editors, and filmmakers identify, protect, and leverage the intellectual property behind their work.

"Films have inspired me deeply as a writer and creator," said Oberbrunner. "A single scene can spark something life-changing. The people creating films are creating intellectual property, and in the age of AI, that work must be protected."

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Oberbrunner says AI can be a valuable tool, but not when it takes from creators without permission.

"AI is not bad." he said. "But stealing from filmmakers and calling it innovation is wrong. Scripts, treatments, performances, footage, character concepts, and story worlds all represent intellectual property. These assets deserve protection."

The issue is personal for Oberbrunner. A Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, he discovered that several of his books were used in AI training datasets. He also found that his TEDx talk was reproduced nearly word for word in an AI-generated article.

"AI needs fresh human-created data to keep improving," Oberbrunner said. "If it only trains on its own outputs, it risks model collapse. That is why original creative work from real people is so valuable, especially in film."

Oberbrunner recently served as executive producer on Father Figure, a short film co-written by Luke Siebert and Josh Cobb and directed by Siebert. The story follows a terminally ill father who purchases a synthetic double to spare his family from grief. But as the machine tries to learn his life, he discovers his flawed, genuine presence is irreplaceable.

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Father Figure was recently selected for the LA Shorts International Film Festival, one of the few Oscar-qualifying short film festivals in the country.

"It is an incredible story, and I am proud to be a part of it," Oberbrunner said. "We protected Father Figure through Instant IP because filmmakers should not wait until after success to protect their work. You do not protect your IP when you are big. You become big by protecting your IP."

Protect the Filmᴵᴾ uses Instant IP' a blockchain solution designed to be fast, simple, and affordable, giving creators a practical way to protect ideas at the speed of thought.

Film professionals can claim their free IP credit at https://www.instantip.today/film