Disney has formally warned Google to back off, sending a cease-and-desist notice on Wednesday accusing the company of violating its copyrights, as per Variety.
According to the letter reviewed by Variety, Disney says the tech giant has been involved in copyright violations “on a massive scale,” alleging that its AI tools and services were used to commercially circulate unauthorized images and videos.
“Google operates as a virtual vending machine, capable of reproducing, rendering, and distributing copies of Disney’s valuable library of copyrighted characters and other works on a mass scale,” as per the letter. “And compounding Google’s blatant infringement, many of the infringing images generated by Google’s AI Services are branded with Google’s Gemini logo, falsely implying that Google’s exploitation of Disney’s intellectual property is authorized and endorsed by Disney.”
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The letter also claims that Google’s AI tools are generating and using material tied to characters from “Frozen,” “The Lion King,” “Moana,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Deadpool,” and several others.
The letter goes even further, painting Google as a kind of “virtual vending machine” pumping out knockoff versions of Elsa, Deadpool, and even a questionable-looking Moana. To Disney, the problem isn’t just the volume but the branding. Many of these images reportedly carry the Gemini logo, which the company says wrongly hints that Disney signed off on them. Of course, it absolutely did not. The complaints span a big chunk of Disney’s universe, from timeless titles like “The Lion King” and “The Little Mermaid” to newer hits like “Deadpool.”
Google hasn’t come out with a clear yes or no on the allegations, but the company did say it plans to “engage” with Disney on the issue. “We have a longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship with Disney, and will continue to engage with them. More generally, we use public data from the open web to build our AI and have built additional innovative copyright controls like Google-extended and Content ID for YouTube, which give sites and copyright holders control over their content,” as told by a spokesperson.
All of this unfolded on the very day Disney announced a $1 billion, three-year partnership with OpenAI, a deal that will bring its most recognizable characters into the company’s Sora AI video generator.
Disney revealed a major $1 billion investment in OpenAI, giving the company access to characters from Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel for its Sora AI video generator. Under this new licensing deal, Sora and ChatGPT Images will start creating videos with approved Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and Mufasa early next year. The partnership is limited strictly to characters, with no rights to use any actor’s likeness or voice.
“There is no denying that AI tools can be useful, but when it comes to entertainment, we are deluged in AI slop. Most of the content on social media is AI slop. And any legitimate attempts at making content using AI have been mediocre. Writers, actors, animators, and VFX artists may see AI as a threat that can impact their space in the future,” said Jatin Varma, the ex-CEO and Founder of Comic Con India.
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