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Disney and Universal Demand Stop to Midjourney’s AI Image Service
Disney and Universal have taken legal action against AI company Midjourney, accusing it of copyright infringement through its AI-powered image generation service. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles, claims that Midjourney used copyrighted characters to train its large language model (LLM) and distributes images that replicate these protected works.
Iconic Characters Allegedly Copied Without Permission
The lawsuit highlights several high-profile properties, including Disney’s Star Wars, Marvel superheroes, The Lion King, The Simpsons, and Universal’s Boss Baby and Shrek franchises. According to the complaint, users of Midjourney’s platform can prompt the AI to create images featuring these copyrighted characters, which they can then download and use freely.
Disney criticized Midjourney as a “copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism” for distributing these images without investing in the original creation of the works. The company also revealed that it had attempted to resolve the matter privately by requesting Midjourney implement technical safeguards to prevent the creation of copyrighted images.
Failed Attempts at Resolution and Legal Demands
Despite these efforts, Disney claims Midjourney continued expanding its services, even teasing a commercial AI video generation platform. Disney’s lawsuit states, “Midjourney controls what copyrighted content it selects, copies, and includes in its Image Service, and it has the means to implement protection measures to prevent the ongoing copying, public display, and distribution of Plaintiffs’ works.”
Both studios are seeking a preliminary injunction to stop Midjourney from offering image and video-generation services without proper copyright protections in place.
Growing Legal Pressure on AI Companies
Midjourney’s lawsuit is part of a broader wave of legal challenges facing AI firms over copyright issues. Earlier this year, twelve copyright cases against OpenAI and Microsoft were consolidated in New York. Additionally, a class-action suit was filed last August against Anthropic, accusing it of using pirated works to train its language models.
This legal scrutiny reflects ongoing tensions between the rapid development of AI technologies and intellectual property rights.
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