Disney and Google have just opened a new front in the war over generative AI and copyright, and the timing couldn't be more explosive: the accusation comes right after Disney announced a multi-million dollar agreement with OpenAI to license its characters to that platform.

According to several reports, the company has sent Google a cease and desist letter alleging large-scale copyright infringements linked to its AI models. In other words, Disney is telling Google: “If you want to play with Mickey, do it with a contract, not by scraping data from the web.”

What happened between Disney and Google?

Disney sent a legal letter to Google claiming that its AI services have been trained and are generating content that imitates copyrighted works from franchises like Frozen, Deadpool, and Star Wars, all without a formal license.

In that letter, the company describes Google's AI services as a system that reproduces and distributes content derived from its films and characters on a large scale, integrated into products like Gemini and YouTube, which, in its view, multiplies both the scope of the infringement and the economic and reputational damage to the company.

Disney also maintains that Google has refused to implement technical safeguards similar to those already used by other competitors to filter copyrighted content, something the company interprets as a deliberate strategy to "leverage" its catalog without paying licenses. Google, for its part, maintains a much more diplomatic tone: the company asserts that it has a "mutually beneficial" relationship with Disney, insists that it trains its models with publicly available information on the web, and emphasizes that it offers copyright control tools for rights holders, especially within the YouTube ecosystem. The key is that, while Disney speaks of massive commercial exploitation of its works through AI,Google is taking refuge in the idea that it uses public data legitimately and that it already has mechanisms in place to manage complaints and content removals.

The twist with the Disney and OpenAI deal

The most interesting thing is that this clash with Google comes just as Disney reveals a deal valued at around $1 billion with OpenAI, which combines investment and a licensing package to use its characters in tools like Sora and ChatGPT Images.

According to these reports, the deal makes Disney a major OpenAI client and allows the latter to use more than 200 characters from franchises like Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars in AI-generated images and videos, with a very clear contractual framework on how and where they can be used.

In practice, the business message is quite direct: Disney wants AI to generate content with its characters, but only under its rules and with a check on the line.

Starting in 2026, Sora and ChatGPT Images users will be able to create videos and content with iconic figures like Darth Vader or Ariel in an officially authorized way, while, at the same time, the company accuses Google of doing something similar without permission and without compensation. This combination of an alliance with OpenAI and legal pressure on Google paints a very clear picture: license the IP to whoever pays and, in parallel, close the door to any "gray" use under the guise of training models.to close the door to any "gray" use under the guise of model training.