AI Service Zeta Faces Copyright Infringement Allegations

Scatter Lab, a South Korean AI company, is embroiled in a copyright dispute concerning its chat service, Zeta. The platform has received a warning from ANYCOLOR, the management company for the VTuber group Nijisanji. Concurrently, users have discovered advertisements posted by Zeta that feature VTuber characters from other agencies without proper authorization.

Zeta allows users to create custom characters, defining their personalities, conversation styles, and backstories. Users can then engage with the AI to advance narrative plots. These creations can be published for other users to experience, and the service's realistic AI interactions have attracted a significant user base interested in role-playing and fictional storytelling.

Despite the platform's stated policy, implemented in January 2026, that prohibits the creation and use of characters that may infringe on third-party rights—including those of artists, idols, and fictional characters—issues have arisen. Zeta has stated it will remove all content from its platform that unauthorizedly uses ANYCOLOR's intellectual property. However, the exact number of affected works and the timeline for their removal remain unspecified. Media reports indicate that a substantial amount of fan-created content featuring VTubers from agencies like hololive, VSPO!, and Milipro is still available on the platform.

Further complicating matters, Zeta's past advertisements on various social media platforms have sparked controversy. Users identified the character of Nijisanji VTuber 仓持妹路特 (Kuramochi Melto) being used in Zeta's ads. Additionally, modified images of independent VTubers have appeared in Zeta's advertisements on Pixiv. Pixiv has stated it is investigating the matter and considering changing its advertising service providers.