Disney has accused Google’s AI of copyright violation “on a massive scale”alleging that the Internet giant trains its artificial intelligence models and uses services and applications to commercially distribute copyrighted images and videos without authorization. At the same time, it has announced an agreement between Disney and OpenAI for the use of content in its applications, in ChatGPT and Sora.
Disney lawyers have sent Google a cease and desist letter demanding that Google Immediately stop using Disney content in your AI tools and create measures to ensure your apps don’t reuse Disney-owned material. A bombshell in the ‘jungle’ in which the development of artificial intelligence has been installed.
In previous lawsuits, the interested companies (those that earn billions from AI without respecting copyright) have been arguing that if they were forced to comply with copyright protection laws, artificial intelligence would cease to exist (at least as we have known it until now). But be careful here because Disney is not just anyone..
The great global entertainment giant is well known for its litigious activism and has an army of lawyers dedicated to defending its copyrights. In fact, the nature of copyright law in the US is a direct consequence of Disney’s legal maneuvers, which have extended its control over iconic characters for decades, as the country’s media recall.
Disney vs. Google
“Google is infringing Disney’s copyrights on a large scale, copying a large corpus of Disney’s copyrighted works without authorization to train and develop generative artificial intelligence models and services, and by use AI models and services to commercially exploit and distribute copies of your protected works to consumers in violation of Disney’s copyright.”can be read in the formal notification addressed to the alleged infringer.
The letter, prior to a lawsuit that would surely be historicensures that “Google functions as a virtual vending machine, capable of reproducing, rendering and distributing copies of Disney’s valuable library of characters and other copyrighted works on a large scale.”says the letter.
Lawyers go further: “And to compound Google’s blatant infringement, many of the infringing images generated by Google AI Services bear Google’s Gemini logo, falsely implying that Google’s exploitation of Disney intellectual property is authorized and endorsed by Disney.”.
The letter includes examples of Disney-owned images, from “Frozen,” “The Lion King,” “Moana,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Deadpool” and more, reproduced by Google’s artificial intelligence tools. Disney demands that Google immediately end these practices and implement security measures across all your AI products to prevent further breaches.
Disney’s case against Google is big, very big, as it involves (until the sale of Warner Bros is completed) the largest distributor of multimedia content on the planet and may mark the end of the ‘wild west’ through which AI models circulate, especially generative ones, which They ‘pill’ content from anywhere without any respect. And not just from large corporations. There are infinite cases of smaller media, professionals, journalists, writers or teachers whose rights have been violated in a irresponsible and uncontrolled situation.
And the rise of generative AI has treated copyright as a mere suggestion, while companies rush to hoard training data and even worse, remix them as if they were new and own content. Numerous companies have sued over AI’s use and replication of their material, and Disney itself threatened to sue Character.AI earlier this year, leading to the removal of Disney content from the service.
Disney signs an agreement with OpenAI
At the same time that Disney’s case against Google promises to be a before and after in copyright in the age of AI, The Walt Disney Company has announced the signing of a agreement with OpenAIso that it incorporates iconic characters from the media giant into the AI video generator, Sora. Disney will also make a $1 billion equity investment in OpenAI, expanding in the future.
Launched last September, Sora allows users to create short videos with simple instructions. With this new agreement, they will be able to draw more than 200 animated, masked characters and creatures from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars, including costumes, accessories, vehicles and more, as well as draw animated or illustrated versions of Marvel and Lucasfilm characters. Additionally, users will also be able to draw on these characters while using ChatGPT Images, ChatGPT’s feature that allows users to create visuals using text prompts.
“The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry and, through this collaboration with OpenAI, we will thoughtfully and responsibly expand the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works«Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement that no doubt recalled Disney’s potential lawsuit against Google.
Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, also takes a swipe at his competitor Google: “This agreement demonstrates how AI companies and creative leaders can collaborate responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity and help works reach a broader and new audience ».
Disney’s deal with OpenAI indicates that the entertainment giant is not closing the door on large AI platforms. The most logical thing would be a great agreement with Google and not a battle, something that should be extended to large and small companies and end the jungle where a generative AI has been installed that uses other people’s content at will, without permission and without paying, and in many cases, even presents the result as its own.
