One of the most important aspects of the creation process is ownership of the original idea. The industry term for that is “Intellectual Property” (or IP) and it has been the subject of countless discussions. Determining who owns what is one of the most crucial and hard-fought battles in legal waters. Sometimes just knowing where to start – to avoid any copyright hurdles and land mines – is the smartest and most helpful move for the company/brand and the end user.
Some individuals have built beacons to help light the way, and one company helping benefit all participants is Callandor Group. Spearheaded by Michael Fisk (former Executive Vice President of Worldwide Digital Marketing Strategy for Sony and Lionsgate and EVP of Global Marketing at MGM/Amazon), he brings experience marketing campaigns for theatrical releases as he oversaw the strategic elements of each film campaign and partnership deals.
As we approach the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Fisk and his partners of recognize that a massive structural shift is happening: athletes are no longer just players; they are the “training data” for the next generation of digital entertainment. From hyper-realistic video game avatars to AI-generated commentary and performance modeling, the “Digital Twin” of an athlete is becoming as valuable as the physical one.
We spoke to Michael at length to get an understanding of how the “IP” of a star like Messi or LeBron or Linda Howell (above, right) is open to interpretation (and unlawful exploitation). Basically, everything digital – especially how abundant and unregulated AI is currently – exists in the legal Wild West. These athletes/personalities, even the teams they are part of are are on the world stage. The bigger they are, the more likely that can be unfairly exploited – movements, voice, and biometric data are being fed into AI models with zero transparency and, possibly worse, no standardized royalty stream.
So enter Callandor which is launching the first Registry of Record for AI Sports IP. Think of it as the “Screen Actors Guild” meets “Getty Images” for the AI era. As the sports world evolves into a software-driven entertainment business, Fisk’s company is the infrastructure that ensures the stars actually own the future they’re building.
The company’s leadership bridges the gap between Hollywood and Deep Tech – CEO Fisk pioneered global cinema streaming for FIFA, CTO An Vu (NASA Perseverance Rover, Stability AI) understands the technical architecture of complex data, and the roster is rounded out by COO Dave Cassidy and CMO Guglielmo Cardente. In soccer vernacular, their gooooaaaalllll is a clear: a compliant path to move from “broadcast rights” to “training rights.” And who better to explain this all than Fisk? Now, let’s a go. Please enjoy this episode of The GoSeeTalk Podcast Experience!
You can get more information on Callandor by clicking over to their official site. Be sure to check back with us as we get further into the year. I’m sure we’ll have Michael back to see how things go. Good luck to them and the personalities they are trying to help!
