Tech Desk 
Dec 15, 2025
Google has begun tightening restrictions on AI-generated videos featuring Disney-owned characters on YouTube after receiving a legal warning from Disney.
According to reports, dozens of videos were removed from YouTube by Friday, just days after Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google.
The videos reportedly featured popular characters such as Deadpool, Moana, Mickey Mouse, and several Star Wars figures and were accused of infringing on Disney’s intellectual property.
The letter, which was reviewed by several outlets earlier this week, went beyond the matter of user-generated content. Disney also claimed that Google had used copyrighted Disney material to train its AI models, including Veo and Nano Banana.
The claims add to growing legal and regulatory pressure on tech companies over how training data for generative AI systems is sourced and used.
Disney has similarly acted against other AI platforms. The company earlier acted against Character.AI and is currently suing Hailuo and Midjourney over alleged copyright violations involving AI-generated content.
However, Disney's approach suggests an effort to regulate rather than to simply reject artificial intelligence.
Moreover, Disney revealed a deal with OpenAI, reflecting a more curated approach to AI adoption. The deal will add Disney characters to OpenAI's Sora and ChatGPT platforms while also introducing AI-powered short-form content created using Sora onto Disney+.
