Google has begun removing AI-generated videos featuring Disney’s most famous characters from its YouTube platform after receiving a legal warning from The Walt Disney Company. The takedowns come amid a widening dispute over how generative artificial intelligence should handle copyrighted material, with Disney accusing the tech giant of widespread infringement by its AI systems.
The removed videos included clips featuring well-known figures such as Mickey Mouse, Deadpool, and characters from Star Wars and other Disney-owned franchises. Many of these had been published using Google’s own AI video creation tool, Veo, though links to them now show messages saying the content is no longer available “due to a copyright claim by Disney”.
Disney’s legal action follows its claim that Google’s AI tools have been using its characters without permission to both train models and generate new content, and that the company had failed to take adequate steps to prevent the proliferation of these materials.
The dispute over AI and intellectual property
In a letter sent to Google earlier this week, Disney’s lawyers accused the search and technology giant of infringing its copyrights “on a massive scale”. The letter detailed how Google’s AI systems allegedly produced and distributed unauthorised representations of Disney characters. Disney claimed that some of these outputs even bore the Gemini brand, giving the misleading impression that the studio had endorsed the use of its intellectual property.
The cease-and-desist letter did not only target YouTube. Disney also asked Google to implement safeguards to stop its AI models from further exploiting Disney’s extensive catalogue of characters and creative works. Characters cited in the complaint ranged from figures in Frozen and Moana to heroes and villains from The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.
Google responded by saying it had removed the content in question and was engaging with Disney on the matter. A spokesperson emphasised the “longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship” between the two companies, and noted that Google uses public data from the open web to train its AI and employs tools such as Content ID to help rights holders manage their material.
The dispute highlights the legal and ethical challenges facing big technology firms as they balance innovation in generative AI with respect for existing copyright laws. Disney’s request that Google cease using its characters to train AI models and prevent their future reproduction underscores how intellectual property owners are seeking greater control over how their creations are used in machine learning.
Wider context: Disney’s own AI strategy
The confrontation with Google comes at a moment when Disney is simultaneously embracing AI technology through a major partnership. The studio announced a three-year licensing deal with OpenAI, backed by a US$1 billion investment, which will allow authorised use of more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters in OpenAI’s Sora AI video generator.
Under this agreement, fans will be able to produce and share AI-generated short videos featuring familiar characters within the Sora platform. The pact also includes internal uses of OpenAI tools at Disney, as well as the potential addition of selected user-created Sora videos to the Disney+ streaming service.
Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger said the arrangement with OpenAI would “extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works”. OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, described the partnership as a model for how AI companies and creative industries can work together responsibly.
That cooperative approach, however, contrasts sharply with Disney’s stance towards Google. While the OpenAI deal gives Disney some control over how its characters are used in new AI-generated content, the cease-and-desist letter to Google accused the company of failing to respect such rights and of benefiting from Disney’s creative assets without permission or compensation.
The situation reflects broader tensions in the technology and entertainment sectors over the role of artificial intelligence. Hollywood studios and other rights holders have become increasingly vocal about the need to protect copyrighted works amid rapid advances in AI capabilities. Disney has previously issued similar warnings and legal challenges to other tech platforms, including Meta and character creators, as the industry grapples with how to adapt to generative AI without undermining established intellectual property frameworks.
