WGA on Disney-Sora Licensing Deal

December 11, 2025

Dear Members,

This morning, Disney announced a three-year deal with OpenAI to license hundreds of Disney-owned characters to Open AI’s Sora, an artificial intelligence model that generates audio-visual material, and to include at least some of these user-generated videos on Disney+. The deal is reportedly specific to masked, animated or creature characters. Disney also announced a significant investment in OpenAI and has stated it will be developing additional AI tools both for internal and consumer use.

Companies including OpenAI have stolen vast libraries of works owned by the studios and created by WGA members and Hollywood labor to train their artificial intelligence systems. We have repeatedly called for the studios to take legal action to defend the valuable intellectual property we help to create. Disney’s cease and desist letter to Google recognizes this and we will continue to pressure the companies to take action. At the same time, Disney’s announcement with OpenAI appears to sanction its theft of our work and cedes the value of what we create to a tech company that has built its business off our backs.

Under the terms of the 2023 MBA we have met annually with the companies to discuss AI developments. We will meet with Disney to probe the terms of this deal, including the extent to which user-generated videos use the work of WGA members. We will continue to fight to protect our members’ creative and economic interests in the context of AI technology.

Read more about the WGAE’s advocacy against the theft and exploitation of writers’ works by AI models.

In Solidarity,

WGAE Council

Tom Fontana, President
Michael Rauch, Vice President, Film/TV/Streaming
Sara David, Vice President, Online Media
Elizabeth Godvik, Vice President, Broadcast/Cable/Streaming News
Sasha Stewart, Secretary-Treasurer

Larry J. Cohen
Nicole Conlan
Justin DiLauro
Chris Gethard
Don P. Hooper
Liz Hynes
Thomas Kelly
Gail Lee
Sarah Montana
Sie Morley
Phil Pilato
Victoria Pollack
Susan Rinkunas
Céline Robinson
Sharyn Rothstein
Erica Saleh
Jessica Schulberg
Samantha Smylie
Suzanne Weber

WGAW Board of Directors

Michele Mulroney, President
Travis Donnelly, Vice President
Peter Murrieta, Secretary-Treasurer

Raphael Bob-Waksberg
Adam Conover
Rob Forman
Justin Halpern
Chris Hazzard
Melinda Hsu
Deric A. Hughes
Cathryn Humphris
Maggie Levin
Marguerite MacIntyre
Molly Nussbaum
John Rogers
Matt Ross
Mike Royce
Danny Tolli
Myles Warden