In a complaint filed in California, Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. studios. Discovery accuse Chinese society MiniMax copyright violation. At the heart of the dispute is found Hailuo aian application that allows users to generate images and videos from simple textual instructions.
The application is capable of producing high quality content featuring emblematic characters such as Dark Vader, Minions or Wonder Woman, all decked out in the minimax logo.
How would Minimax have used these protected characters?
According to the complaint, Minimax does not just allow the creation of pirate images, but actively use the characters for its own promotion.
The company presents its service, Hailuo Ai, as a real “Hollywood studio in your pocket”, a formula that the complainants call daring since the company ” built his business on the intellectual property Stolen in Hollywood studios “.
Screenshots show advertisements for Hailuo Ai using characters such as the Warner Bros. Joker. On social networks, which, according to the studios, falsely suggests an official partnership and constitutes a direct threat to the American film industry.
What are the challenges for this rising Chinese tech star?
Founded in 2021 and supported by leading investors like Alibaba, Minimax is considered to be one of the “AI dragons” in China, with an estimated valuation of around 3 billion dollars.
The trial for copyright violation intervenes at a particularly delicate moment for the startup, which would prepare an introduction to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to finance its international expansion.
A conviction could not only cost financially – the studios claim the maximum amount authorized by law – but also tarnish its reputation with investors.
A legal action which is not an isolated case
The complaint is part of a context of fierce struggle led by content creators against the unauthorized use of their works to train AI models.
In June, Disney and Universal had already attacked the American company Midjourneyanother generator of images by AI, qualifying its service ” Fund -free well of plagiarism “. If Midjourney invoked the doctrine of” Fair Use “for his defense, the multiplication of these trials shows Hollywood’s will to let anything go through.
