The SCP Foundation has publicly stated that it was not consulted on the planned V/H/S: SCP film, a project announced by A24 in collaboration with Spooky Pictures and Image Nation Studios. The film is intended as an addition to the V/H/S horror anthology universe, with A24 having reportedly secured worldwide rights. However, the SCP Foundation asserts that A24 does not and cannot hold exclusive rights to any content related to the SCP Foundation.
The official statement from the staff and authors of the SCP Foundation Wiki indicates a lack of communication with the filmmakers, producers, or distributors. This announcement follows an earlier reveal by Variety that A24 had acquired rights to the project. Spooky Pictures and Image Nation Studios had initially announced V/H/S: SCP in July 2026, prior to A24's involvement.
All content within the SCP universe, including its concepts and characters, is governed by a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 3.0) license. According to the SCP Foundation's statement, this license means that A24 is not permitted to distribute the film with digital rights management (DRM) or other technological measures that would prevent copying. Furthermore, any commercial streaming service would be free to stream the film without requiring payment, and individuals could upload copies to platforms like YouTube.
The CC BY-SA 3.0 license stipulates that any derivative works must be distributed under the same license. This implies that while commercial distribution is permitted, the content remains subject to the open-access terms of the original license. Consequently, the V/H/S: SCP film could potentially be streamed and shared freely.
This situation echoes a past incident in 2019 when a Russian individual, Andrey Duksin, attempted to trademark the SCP Foundation's name and logo to restrict product sales in Russia. The SCP Foundation successfully contested this, leading to the dissolution of the trademark in 2022. However, the foundation had to crowdfund legal fees for that dispute, and a potential legal battle with A24 could be significantly more expensive.
The SCP Foundation's stance is further understandable given A24's previous actions regarding the Backrooms universe. The studio issued copyright strikes against Backrooms-based video games, artwork, and videos earlier this year. While A24 later claimed these strikes were automated and reversed them, stating they did not claim ownership over community-built works, the SCP Foundation's caution is evident.