Author and Illustrator Loryn Brantz Faces Intellectual Property Dispute
Author and illustrator Loryn Brantz never imagined that a popular cartoon character she created nearly a decade ago would one day be the subject of an intellectual property dispute involving BuzzFeed, Amazon’s video streaming service, and generative artificial intelligence. But this is exactly the situation she finds herself in today.
Creative Rights and Corporate Promises
“Nothing said in good faith by managers and executives was followed through,” Brantz says of BuzzFeed, her former employer. This sentiment stems from a recent controversy that has stirred the creative community. Brantz published an Instagram post this week, denouncing the once-dominant media brand she formerly worked for. Her reaction was prompted by the news that BuzzFeed had licensed her creation, the Good Advice Cupcake character, known as Cuppy, to Prime Video. The streaming giant plans to release a series called “Cupcake & Friends,” developed using AI tools, as part of the GenAI Creators’ Fund — an initiative by Amazon Web Services and Amazon MGM Studios.
The Rise of AI in Creative Industries
“This is an attack on artists everywhere,” Brantz expressed in her Instagram post, reflecting a growing concern shared by many creatives in the age of AI. Digital media, which has undergone numerous restructurings, appears to be a fertile ground for such developments. Notably, media mogul Byron Allen, who recently acquired a majority stake in BuzzFeed for $120 million, has plans to leverage AI to transform BuzzFeed into a competitor for platforms like YouTube.
Brantz, a former creative director for YouTube educator Ms. Rachel, used her social media platform to urge a boycott of BuzzFeed and all AI-produced or related animation. Her strong words underscore the emotional and professional impact of the situation, as she accused the companies of turning her character into a “soulless AI puppet.”
The Birth and Growth of the Good Advice Cupcake
Brantz began her journey with BuzzFeed in 2014, a time when the magazine was at the zenith of its influence. In addition to her work with the company, she pursued personal projects, writing and illustrating books while sharing content on social media. Her creation, Cuppy, went viral in 2017 with a comic that humorously depicted a cute, anthropomorphic cupcake offering bold and motivational advice.
“The character is 100 percent based on my own personality as someone who is aggressively optimistic and almost pathologically positive,” Brantz tells WIRED. “For me, it was a way to shout motivational advice to people in a nice and humorous way.” Originally conceived for a children’s book, Cuppy became a social media sensation after Disney passed on the idea, capturing BuzzFeed’s attention.
The Path from Concept to Controversy
BuzzFeed saw potential in the character and explored the possibility of an animated web series. This collaboration resulted in eight episodes of the Good Advice Cupcake series, which ran until 2019, covering topics such as “Advice for Your Chaotic Life” and “Advice for Coming Out.”
“AI didn’t even exist when this all happened,” Brantz notes, emphasizing that her original contracts with BuzzFeed did not account for AI-generated content. “In the end, I trusted them, albeit naively, when they said they had no interest in continuing Cuppy without my involvement if I ever left, and that they would respect my creative wishes for them,” she says. After departing BuzzFeed in 2023, Brantz continued to license her character for personal content, maintaining a Good Advice Cupcake page on Instagram with over 2 million followers.
As this evolving dispute highlights, the intersection of technology and creativity raises complex questions about intellectual property rights and artistic integrity in the digital age. To read more about this story, visit Here.
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