Two after effects from the Disney/OpenAI deal. First, as Disney has entered a three-year licensing partnership with OpenAI, which includes an exclusive one-year period, during which Disney’s iconic characters can only be used on OpenAI’s Sora video generator. After this exclusivity ends, Disney will be free to collaborate with other AI companies. According to Disney CEO Bob Iger, this partnership allows the company to explore generative AI while assessing its implications for their intellectual property. Iger emphasized the importance of embracing technological advancements, stating, “No human generation has ever stood in the way of technological advance, and we don’t intend to try.” This announcement coincided with Disney sending a cease-and-desist letter to Google, alleging copyright infringement, though Google has yet to confirm or deny the claims.
To which, Google has removed numerous AI-generated videos featuring Disney characters from its YouTube platform following a cease and desist letter from The Walt Disney Company. This action comes in response to Disney’s allegations of significant copyright infringement related to the unauthorized use of its intellectual property, including characters like Deadpool, Moana, and others. Disney’s cease and desist letter, which has been reported by sources such as Variety and Deadline, criticized Google not only for hosting these videos but also for utilizing copyrighted materials to train its AI models. This move aligns with Disney’s broader strategy, as the company has previously taken legal actions against other platforms like Character.AI and Midjourney for similar copyright concerns.
Why do we care?
Disney didn’t “pick” OpenAI. Disney set terms. Short ones. Non-permanent ones. And while they’re experimenting in one lane, they’re shutting down everyone else who didn’t ask permission. That tells you everything.
This is not a vote of confidence in generative AI companies behaving responsibly. It’s the opposite. It’s Disney saying: we’ll allow this — briefly — while we figure out how to monetize and control it.
And the Google angle matters even more. Hosting the content? Training on the data? That’s all now fair game for enforcement. The idea that platforms can shrug and say “users did it” is fading fast.
For MSPs, this is the warning shot. If you’re deploying AI tools without understanding where the data came from, you’re not being innovative — you’re being careless. And your customers are the ones who’ll pay for that mistake. The opportunity here isn’t “AI everywhere.” It’s AI with guardrails.
The providers who win are the ones who can say: we know what this tool does, where it came from, and why it won’t blow up your legal department.
That’s the business now. Not hype. Control.