Sony Innovation Fund Backs Midnight Labs as AI-Powered IP Enforcement Expands into Japan and APAC

Midnight Labs wins strategic investment from Sony to scale AI enforcement

Midnight Labs, a Dublin-headquartered specialist in AI-driven intellectual property protection for entertainment, gaming and creator economies, has secured an investment from the Sony Innovation Fund. The funding will accelerate the companys rollout of its agentic Enforcement Engine across the U.S. and Japanese markets and support broader expansion across APAC.

Dubbed The Internets Delete Button, Midnight Labs says its platform automates enforcement workflows that previously took weeks and can now be completed in minutes. The company claims its technology compresses 120 hours of manual scanning, detection, analysis, verification and removal into roughly 60 seconds, and has removed more than 2.8 billion pieces of infringing content to date. The service protects streaming platforms, podcast networks, talent agencies and Fortune 100 executives against pirated films, leaked music, cloned livestreams and weaponized deepfakes.

Video piracy remains a major commercial threat: research cited by Midnight Labs estimates $125 billion in annual revenue leakage by 2028. Midnight Labs product suite includes Ceartas, a creator-focused offering (named for the Irish word for justice) aimed at protecting creators and creator-economy brands from impersonation, non-consensual content and AI-enabled misuse.

Forensic evidence, full-IP protection and market focus

Midnight Labs distinguishes itself by integrating legal-grade evidence collection directly into its automated pipeline. Each takedown is accompanied by a forensic bundle time-stamped screenshots, cryptographic hashes, archived HTML and full network records intended to produce litigation-ready documentation without manual effort. The company positions this capability as a shift from reactive legal work to proactive asset protection for rights holders.

The platform also targets the full IP chain: creator content, brand identity, NILV (Name/Image/Likeness/Voice), character likenesses, studio assets, and audio/video feeds including live streams. Midnight Labs reports continuous scanning of more than 75 million sources, including non-compliant platforms and dark-web venues, identifying threats in real time and automating takedowns, filings and compliance workflows. The company highlights that it does not rely on external AI models, emphasizing privacy and control over sensitive materials.

Japan and greater APAC are a key strategic focus for Midnight Labs. The company points to large-scale piracy syndicates and persistent problems such as manga piracy to explain the regions vulnerability to AI-enhanced infringement. The Sony Innovation Fund investment is framed as a means to deepen market presence in Japan, expedite takedowns and neutralize networks that distribute infringing content before reputational or financial damage spreads.

Antonio Avitabile, Managing Director of Sony Ventures EMEA, said the fund is pleased to support Midnight Labs as it develops solutions for rights holders worldwide. Midnight Labs remains privately held and is backed by a consortium of investors, including the Sony Innovation Fund, Airbridge Equity Partners, Earlybird VC and Upside VC. The company is also a Google Trusted Copyright Removal Program partner.

Midnight Labs says its products are already in use by major players across gaming, anime, manga, film, sports, music and live streaming. As generative AI accelerates the creation and distribution of deepfakes and other unauthorized reproductions, the company positions automated, legally robust enforcement as essential to protecting revenue and reputation for studios, platforms and creators alike.

For more information, Midnight Labs and Ceartas maintain corporate pages and LinkedIn profiles, and the company provides press contacts for media inquiries.