tl;dr
Disney, Universal, DreamWorks, and Twentieth Century Fox have sued AI company Midjourney, alleging its image generation tool infringes copyright by creating unauthorized reproductions of their famous characters. The lawsuit claims Midjourney distributes plagiarized images without compensating the st...
Disney, Universal, DreamWorks, and Twentieth Century Fox have jointly sued AI company Midjourney, accusing its image generation tool of copyright infringement by creating unauthorized reproductions of their iconic characters. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. federal court, alleges that Midjourney functions as a "bottomless pit of plagiarism," distributing images and videos that blatantly copy famous characters without compensating the studios.
The complaint highlights Midjourney-generated images featuring likenesses of characters such as Yoda, Marvel superheroes, Aladdin, Minions, The Simpsons, and Shrek. The studios seek damages and an injunction to prevent further unauthorized reproduction, display, or distribution of their copyrighted content.
This legal action is part of a broader wave of lawsuits targeting AI companies for their use of copyrighted works in both training data and generated outputs. As generative AI tools become more common, legal scrutiny intensifies over whether AI firms can lawfully use copyrighted materials without permission. Other high-profile suits include cases against OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, and media companies like Ziff Davis.
The studios contend that Midjourney has the technical ability to filter out copyrighted content, similar to how it currently blocks violent or pornographic prompts, but has consciously chosen not to implement such safeguards. This raises profound questions about responsibility and ethics in AI development and deployment.
Beyond copyright infringement, the film industry is deeply concerned about AI’s impact on creative jobs and revenue. Reports warn that AI could disrupt more than 200,000 U.S. entertainment sector jobs by 2026, particularly entry-level positions, and cause a significant revenue decline globally. As AI technologies evolve, the entertainment world faces mounting challenges in balancing innovation with protecting creative labor and intellectual property.