This isn't only a petition about Character.AI. It is about showing The Walt Disney Company that people will no longer ignore it's abuses of it's influence and of the legal system now or in the future.

You don't need to support AI to see that this is just another example of Disney's over reach of Fair Use, based on weak claims by the small group of parents who originally complained to Disney in the first place. Disney’s actions once again highlight their use of might over right as they exercise their power to silence creativity. Disney issued a cease and desist order to Character.AI, a platform that allows users to create and interact with AI-generated characters in fun and creative ways. This is yet another example of Disney’s long-running history of exploiting the legal system to stifle small creators and suppress creative freedom.

For years, Disney has wielded copyright laws as a sword, lobbying to modify them to further their own agenda and prevent individuals and small artists from freely using beloved characters, many of which existed for hundreds of years before Disney's inception, under the principle of Fair Use. These laws, originally designed to protect creators’ rights, have instead been co-opted to maintain Disney's dominance, casting a shadow over smaller voices and stifling innovation to fill it's own overstuffed pockets. This is not the first or most important time Disney has done this, but change has to begin with demanding actions on recent oversteps instead of years or decades old injustice.

The original letter sent to Disney claimed that Character.AI's bots would engage in sexual and violent ways with children using Disney characters (Star Wars specifically), and that this was equivalent to grooming. However if you are an adult and have ever used Character.AI you are well aware of how stringent it's filter system is - frequently filtering messages that have no sexual or violent prompt or context within the displayed message. As for violence, Star Wars is about a violent revolution where the main characters (Anakin, Luke, Ray, and many other Jedi shown in comics and shows) are essentially child solders.

Star Wars explicitly displays and addresses adult themes and issues like government corruption, genocide, drug use, sex trafficking, slavery, torture, death, murders ordered against civilians by the government, manipulative caretakers, and more. In essence, if these parents are worried about their children experiencing violence through the bots, they should have never let their children engage with Star Wars in the first place. In addition - it is these parents's responsibility to keep their children off of Character.AI (something which is fairly easy now with Parental Controls on devices), not Character.AI's responsibility to make sure all of its bots are appropriate for young children.

Character.AI does not directly compete with Disney nor does it harm Disney’s market share. It offers a unique experience by providing users tools to engage with fandom and test creative ideas without any commercial gain. The platform thrives on creativity and community engagement, and although AI is problematic, these essential ideas are ones that aren't supported enough by platforms anymore, and this cease and desist will only continue to discourage companies from supporting these ideas.

This petition calls upon Disney to reconsider their stance and rescind the cease and desist order aimed at Character.AI. Not on the grounds of Fair Use, as Disney has repeatedly shown it doesn't care about Fair Use, but on the grounds that people will no longer tolerate it's undisguised lack of care for its consumers, nor it's treatment of its workers, creatives in general, or it's manhandling of the law to force it's will on to others. It is time for Disney to align with the spirit of creativity, integrity, and collaboration, values the company once claimed to cherish.

If you believe in supporting the fair use of intellectual property, join this fight against corporate overreach. Every signature contributes to protecting creativity and innovation. Sign this petition today and let Disney know that their legal intimidation has no place in our creative future.