Thu, 12 Jun 2025

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney over images

The Hollywood studios allege Midjourney's image generator is a "bottomless pit of plagiarism".
Disney and Universal are suing AI firm Midjourney over its image generator, which they claim produces "innumerable" copies of popular characters without permission. The studios claim that Midjourney's tool makes it easy to create images from typed requests or prompts, leading to widespread copyright infringement. Disney's chief legal officer said the company is concerned about piracy and believes AI companies should be held accountable for infringing on copyrights. The lawsuit highlights a growing issue in the entertainment industry: how to balance the potential benefits of AI with the risk of intellectual property theft. Midjourney has made $300m in revenue last year alone, and is planning to launch a video service soon. Experts say that while Midjourney's images may be creative transformations of copyrighted characters, they do not add anything new or original. "A lot of the images seem to be copies of copyright characters with a new background," said Syracuse University law professor Shubha Ghosh. The outcome of the lawsuit is uncertain, as courts will need to weigh in on issues such as fair use and terms of service provisions. Midjourney did not comment on the lawsuit, but its website describes it as an "independent research lab" with a small team of full-time staff. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry continues to explore the potential of AI for creative purposes, from altering voices to de-aging actors. However, concerns about piracy and intellectual property theft remain a major challenge for companies like Disney and Universal.
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