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Disney tells Google to stop using its characters in AI images and videos
2 hours ago
- Disney has formally demanded Google stop allowing Disney characters to appear in AI images and videos.
- This comes as Disney and OpenAI have announced a licensing deal that sees Disney acquire a $1 billion stake in OpenAI.
- Google has not responded to request for comment.
Earlier today, OpenAI announced a major deal with Disney that will allow ChatGPT and Sora to create officially licensed, AI-generated imagery featuring the media giant’s popular characters. Now, Disney wants to stop another leading AI provider from doing the same. Disney has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google, accusing the company of copyright infringement in Gemini output.
Variety reports that in a letter reviewed by the publication, Disney’s lawyers accuse Google of infringing on Disney’s copyrights “on a massive scale,” citing Gemini’s ability to create imagery that includes copyrighted characters from across Disney’s expansive catalog of intellectual properties. Disney has apparently been informally communicating with Google about this for some time, but as of today, Gemini still readily produces imagery featuring Disney’s characters.
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In its letter, Disney demands Google take action to prevent its AI tools from creating imagery that contains copyrighted characters from Disney’s IPs, which include movie and TV franchises from Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel. On its own, Disney’s cease-and-desist doesn’t carry any legal weight; this type of communication serves as a kind of official warning that can be referenced later in potential legal action.
Prior to its deal with OpenAI, Disney has taken various types of action against AI providers like Midjourney, Meta, and Character.AI for similar reasons to those expressed in its letter to Google.
OpenAI’s deal with Disney will allow ChatGPT Images and Sora to create imagery featuring a wide variety of Disney characters, and will see some Sora-generated content make its way to Disney+. Currently, ChatGPT will refuse to create images that contain copyrighted characters. Google’s AI, on the other hand, has no problem generating an image of Mickey Mouse or Black Panther or Darth Vader, so long as it doesn’t violate any of the platform’s existing policies.
As of publication, Google hasn’t responded to Android Authority‘s request for comment.
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