Disney–OpenAI partnership grants one year of exclusivity before opening doors to rivals

Disney’s three-year licensing partnership with OpenAI includes only one year of exclusivity, after which the entertainment giant is free to strike similar agreements with other artificial intelligence companies, Disney chief executive Bob Iger said in an interview with CNBC.

The partnership, signed last week, allows OpenAI to use more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars within its Sora video generation platform, making it the only AI service currently authorised to do so. The arrangement gives OpenAI a high-profile content partner while offering Disney an opportunity to evaluate how generative AI can be used alongside its intellectual property.

Iger informed CNBC that Disney has no intention of resisting technological change and prefers to engage with emerging technologies even if they disrupt existing business models. He said the company views participation as essential if such disruption is inevitable.

According to TechCrunch, the limited exclusivity period allows Disney to test the partnership before potentially opening up its content to other AI developers once the first year concludes.

On the same day the OpenAI deal was announced, Disney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google, alleging copyright infringement. Google did not confirm or deny the claims but informed that it would engage with Disney on the matter.