Disney, Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement

By Silan Turp and Gokhan Ergocun

US entertainment firms Disney and Universal Studios have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Midjourney, an AI image generation company.

Filed in federal court in California, the lawsuit accuses Midjourney of unlawfully copying visual elements from iconic films owned by the two studios, including Star Wars and Minions, CNN reported Wednesday.

Describing the company as a “bottomless pit of plagiarism,” the complaint alleges that Midjourney allowed users to create images containing copyrighted characters without permission.

"Piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing," said Disney's chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez in a statement.

The lawsuit notes that both studios had previously asked Midjourney to stop the alleged violations or implement technology to prevent them, but the company failed to comply.

Disney and Universal are seeking up to $150,000 in damages for each infringed work and a ban on the AI tool from committing future copyright infringements.

While Midjourney has not yet made a statement regarding the lawsuit, the company's CEO, David Holz, responded to a question on the subject during his weekly meeting with users, saying that Midjourney will continue to exist for a very long time.

This lawsuit, filed at a time when AI companies are attempting to enter the entertainment industry, marks the first copyright lawsuit brought by major Hollywood studios like Disney and Universal against an AI technology company.