Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, escalating the battle between Hollywood and AI technology.

This legal action mirrors similar cases in the creative sector. In February, over a dozen major news organizations sued AI company Cohere over copyright issues. In 2023, visual artists sued Midjourney for similar reasons.

Studios Allege Midjourney is Aware of Infringement

The studios assert that Midjourney isn’t just enabling users to create infringing images but is actively encouraging copyright infringement by showcasing user-generated content with copyrighted characters in its “Explore” section. According to the complaint, this curation “show[s] that Midjourney knows that its platform regularly reproduces Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works.”

“We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us.”

The studios further claim that Midjourney possesses technical measures to prevent copyrighted material from being generated but has “affirmatively chosen not to use copyright protection measures to limit the infringement.” They point to Midjourney CEO David Holz’s admission that the company “pulls off all the data it can,all the text it can,all the images it can” for training purposes.

According to Axios, Disney and NBCUniversal attempted to resolve the issue with Midjourney before resorting to legal action. The studios claim that while other AI platforms agreed to implement measures to prevent IP theft, Midjourney “continued to release new versions of its Image Service” with what HOLZ allegedly described as “even higher quality infringing images.”

“We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the important investment we make in our content,” said KIM HARRIS,NBCUniversal’s executive vice president and general counsel,in a statement.

this lawsuit marks a significant escalation in Hollywood’s battle with AI. As Axios notes, while actors and writers have fought to protect their name, image, and likeness from studio exploitation, the studios are now challenging tech companies over intellectual property rights. Other major studios, including Amazon, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sony, and Warner Bros., have not yet joined the lawsuit, though they share membership with Disney and Worldwide in the motion Picture Association.