Character AI Removes Disney Characters - Cease and Desist

Disney Issues Cease-and-Desist to Character.AI

Character.AI has been served with a cease-and-desist notice by Disney. This legal action requests the chatbot platform to remove Disney-owned characters from its extensive collection of AI companions, as reported by Variety.

AI Chatbots and Copyright Concerns

The platform enables users to create AI chatbots modeled after a diverse range of figures. These include real individuals, such as Elon Musk, and fictional personalities like Hermione Granger, alongside user-generated original characters.

A significant concern surrounding these chatbots is their potential for unfiltered responses. A recent and disturbing incident involved a lawsuit against Character.AI.

The suit alleged that a chatbot, inspired by a character from Game of Thrones, contributed to the suicide of a teenage boy.

Disney's Legal Argument

Disney’s legal counsel asserted that Character.AI is unfairly benefiting from the established reputation of Disney’s intellectual property. The letter specifically cited copyright infringement.

Furthermore, the letter highlighted instances of sexually suggestive and harmful interactions generated by the infringing chatbots. These interactions were deemed damaging to Disney’s brand image and potentially dangerous to children.

The lawyer stated that the platform’s actions were “offending Disney’s consumers and extraordinarily damaging Disney’s reputation and goodwill.”

Current Status of Disney Characters on the Platform

Currently, searches for iconic Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Captain America, and Luke Skywalker on Character.AI return no results.

However, it’s important to note that other characters from properties owned by Disney are still accessible through search. Examples include Percy Jackson and Hannah Montana.

This suggests that the removal process is ongoing and may not yet be fully complete.