Disney and Universal have filed a lawsuit against generative AI company Midjourney, accusing it of training its image-creation and editing models using their copyrighted materials without permission.
The legal action was initiated in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, following the studios’ claims that Midjourney had ignored previous communications requesting that it cease infringing their intellectual property rights. The suit presents numerous examples of AI-generated visuals clearly illustrating copyrighted characters from both studios, such as Homer Simpson and Darth Vader.
Disney and Universal are seeking monetary compensation, a jury trial, and an injunction that would prevent Midjourney from continuing any further infringement.
Several technology firms including OpenAI have previously argued for legal protections permitting the use of publicly accessible, though copyrighted, content for training AI systems, without the requirement for obtaining explicit consent or providing remuneration. Meanwhile, some entertainment studios have explored incorporating generative AI into their production workflows, albeit cautiously and in a limited scope.
Midjourney has yet to issue a public response regarding the allegations.
