Disney accuses Google of copyright infringement

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Disney and Google just wandered into what might be Hollywood’s most awkward crossover event of the year. 

On Wednesday, Disney fired off a cease-and-desist letter to the search giant, accusing Google of massive copyright infringement.

According to Variety, Disney claims Google’s AI models have been quietly cranking out unauthorized images and videos featuring some of the studio’s most valuable characters. 

The letter paints a dramatic picture: Google as a “virtual vending machine” spitting out bootleg Elsas, rogue Deadpools, and possibly a Moana who looks like she was rendered on a budget. 

Even worse (at least in Disney’s eyes), many of these images allegedly come stamped with the Gemini logo, which Disney says misleadingly suggests the House of Mouse approved the whole thing. Spoiler: it did not.

The accusations cover a wide swath of Disney’s empire, from classics like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid to blockbuster franchises like Deadpool. 

It’s a bit like Disney is walking through Google’s virtual warehouse, pointing at random boxes and saying, “That’s ours. Also that. And that definitely shouldn’t have eight arms.”

Google, for its part, isn’t exactly denying things, but it’s not confirming them either. 

Instead, the company released a carefully diplomatic statement reminding everyone that it has a “longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship with Disney,” which is corporate-speak for “please don’t sue us into oblivion.” 

It also highlighted its use of public web data and its copyright tools like Content ID, which is either reassurance or deflection, depending on how optimistic you feel.

And because timing is everything, this copyright skirmish dropped on the exact same day Disney announced a $1 billion partnership with OpenAI to bring its characters into Sora, the company’s AI video generator. 

So while Disney is telling Google to stop using its toys, it’s simultaneously handing OpenAI the keys to the kingdom.