David Edwards
In a landmark escalation of the legal battle over artificial intelligence and intellectual property, entertainment giants Disney and Universal have filed a joint lawsuit against AI startup Midjourney, accusing the company of large-scale copyright infringement.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court, alleges that Midjourney has unlawfully used copyrighted material—including iconic characters and franchises—to train its AI-powered image generation model, and is directly profiting from the unauthorized replication and distribution of protected works.
Star Wars, Marvel, Shrek Among Allegedly Infringed Works
According to the complaint, Midjourney’s AI platform allows subscribers to generate and download images that include characters from Disney’s Star Wars, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Lion King, and The Simpsons, as well as Universal’s Boss Baby and Shrek franchises. Disney claims these images blatantly replicate copyrighted material without permission or compensation.
The plaintiffs argue that Midjourney has capitalized on their intellectual property, describing the company as a “copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism.” The complaint also states that Midjourney leverages these copyrighted characters to market and promote its image generation services, thereby compounding the alleged infringement.
Failed Negotiations Preceded Legal Action
Disney asserts that prior to filing the lawsuit, it sought a resolution by requesting that Midjourney implement technical safeguards to prevent users from generating copyrighted content. Despite these efforts, Disney claims Midjourney continued to expand its services, even preparing to launch a commercial AI-powered video generation platform.
The lawsuit highlights that Midjourney already employs filtering technologies to block the generation of violent or explicit content, demonstrating that similar controls could easily be applied to prevent unauthorized use of copyrighted characters.
“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,” the complaint reads.
Movie Studios Enter Growing AI Copyright Debate
While authors, artists, and other creators have previously filed similar lawsuits against AI companies for unauthorized use of creative works, this marks the first time that major Hollywood studios have directly entered the growing legal battle over AI-generated content.
Disney and Universal are now seeking a preliminary injunction that would halt Midjourney’s ability to offer its image and video-generation services unless it installs effective protections to prevent the replication of copyrighted works.
The case is poised to set a significant legal precedent as courts increasingly confront the complex intersection of generative AI, copyright law, and intellectual property rights.
