Disney and Universal team up to sue AI photo generator Midjourney, claiming copyright infringement

In a groundbreaking legal battle, Disney and Universal have initiated a lawsuit against Midjourney, an AI photo generation company, citing copyright infringement. This case represents a significant confrontation between major Hollywood studios and an artificial intelligence entity. Midjourney, known for its ability to produce lifelike images from text prompts in mere seconds, has gained immense popularity among users. The complaint, filed in a California federal court, accuses the AI firm of training its models on the intellectual property of the studios and generating images that feature iconic characters, thereby violating copyright laws. In their filing, Disney and Universal describe Midjourney as a ‘virtual vending machine’ and a ‘bottomless pit of plagiarism,’ claiming it produces ‘endless unauthorized copies’ of their copyrighted material. This case underscores a growing concern among artists, authors, and actors, who fear that their work and likenesses are being used without consent to train generative AI tools, potentially threatening their livelihoods. While a separate lawsuit from 2023 against Midjourney by a collective of visual artists is still ongoing, this is the first instance of major film studios taking legal action against an AI company. The lawsuit highlights specific instances where Midjourney can generate images depicting beloved characters from franchises such as Star Wars, The Simpsons, Shrek, and many others. Although Midjourney has yet to respond to this latest lawsuit, the company previously asserted that each AI-generated image is merely a tiny fraction of the diverse data that informs its models. Disney’s legal representatives emphasize that their lawsuit is fundamentally about straightforward copyright infringement. Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s senior executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer, stated their support for AI technology while firmly denouncing piracy in any form. Disney and Universal allege that Midjourney boasts 21 million subscribers and generated approximately $300 million in revenue in the past year. Prior to this lawsuit, the studios had requested that Midjourney cease the alleged infringements or develop technology to restrict users from creating images featuring their intellectual properties, but these requests went unanswered. The complaint also points out that while Midjourney has implemented measures to block the distribution of certain images, other AI platforms have established copyright protections to uphold the rights of content creators. As part of their legal action, Disney and Universal are seeking $150,000 for each instance of infringement, with potential damages exceeding $20 million based on their exhibit listing over 150 allegedly infringed works.