Disney and Universal Clamp Down on AI Plagiarism: The Legal Battle Against Midjourney

Disney and Universal are suing the AI company Midjourney for allegedly using their copyrighted characters without permission. The suit claims Midjourney's AI image generator unlawfully reproduced and distributed character images from Disney and Universal films. The studios seek an injunction and damages, asserting that Midjourney is a copyright violator.

Walt Disney and Comcast's Universal have initiated a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the AI image generator of extensive plagiarism. The studios allege that Midjourney has been replicating copyrighted characters from their films without consent, infringing on their intellectual property to generate innumerable unauthorized copies.

The legal action, filed in Los Angeles federal district court, claims that Midjourney has ignored requests to cease these activities or implement preventive technological measures. Characters like Darth Vader, Elsa, and the Minions are among the allegedly pirated figures recreated by Midjourney, according to the studios.

Disney and Universal are seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the infringing activities and unspecified damages. Midjourney, monetizing its service with paid subscriptions, generated $300 million last year. The lawsuit highlights ongoing tensions over the training and use of AI technology with copyrighted content, echoing previous legal challenges against Midjourney.

(With inputs from agencies.)