Disney takes surprise legal action against Google over likenesses

• Disney signs a $1 billion, three-year AI concern with OpenAI for quality usage with Sora.

• Disney accused Google’s Gemini AI of monolithic copyright infringement of quality likenesses.

• OpenAI tin make Disney images/videos, but can’t usage Disney endowment likenesses oregon voices.

AI came for the authors (including Game of Thrones' George R.R. Martin)... and Hollywood benignant of shrugged. Then, AI came for Disney's (DIS) intelligence spot - and knives were instantly drawn.

Or, rather, they were drawn arsenic soon arsenic Disney signed a three-year, $1 cardinal concern with OpenAI this Thursday. The deal, which acceptable the code for AI manufacture intelligence spot partnerships going forward, volition bring classical Disney characters (think Mickey Mouse), Marvel and Star Wars heroes, and animated stars from caller hits (think "Moana", Pixar's "Inside Out", and "Zootopia') to OpenAI's Sora, per Disney's Dec. 11 property release.

Disney preempted the announcement of this woody by delivering a cease-and-desist missive to Google (GOOG) connected Wednesday evening. The missive accuses Google (and Google's Gemini AI) of wide copyright infringement successful narration to fashionable Disney quality likenesses, per Variety's reporting.

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The missive conveyed Disney's connection successful stark terms:

"Google is infringing Disney’s copyrights connected a monolithic scale, by copying a ample corpus of Disney’s copyrighted works without authorization to bid and make generative artificial quality (‘AI’) models and services, and by utilizing AI models and services to commercially exploit and administer copies of its protected works to consumers," the missive by instrumentality steadfast Jenner & Block connected behalf of Disney work Dec. 10th.

The timing is some convenient and apt indispensable if Disney and OpenAI privation to support Disney's intelligence spot (IP) lone disposable for AI enactment connected Sora. This woody broke caller crushed for however IP licensing for AI models could enactment (OpenAI itself was bold capable to dub it a "landmark deal"), truthful this suit volition acceptable an important precedent. I tease retired the details, including what characters Disney peculiarly has its eyes connected protecting, below.

Disney's latest cease-and-desist missive claims that Google's copyright violations person been wide-reaching and that their harm has been compounded by Gemini branding connected the resulting content. It gets specific, citing peculiar characters and contented that Disney's ineligible representatives person earmarked arsenic flagrant examples (summarized below).