Two of the major studios of Hollywood have filed a lawsuit against an AI firm claiming that the company has used their copyrighted characters without approval.
With the unfathomable growth of Generative AI in recent years, copyright issues have been on the rise. As a result, two of the major studios - Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a case of copyright infringement against a renowned text-to-image converting Generative AI firm, Midjourney. This landmark lawsuit is seen as a hope for ushering in a new era of ethical and licensed generative AI.
Midjourney is a generative AI tool that creates images from text prompts using advanced machine learning. Known for its artistic and hyper-realistic visuals, it’s popular among designers and creators. Unlike traditional image editors, Midjourney produces original artworks by analyzing vast datasets, now under legal scrutiny for allegedly using copyrighted material without proper authorization from studios like Disney and NBCUniversal.
The copyright infringement federal lawsuit was filed on Tuesday, 10 June 2025, by Disney and NBCUniversal against Midjourney in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The studios allege that Midjourney, an AI image tool, creates and displays many images copied from the copyrighted works of the studios. They were made available on Midjourney’s website and shared with subscribed users.
The studios claimed that they contacted Midjourney to stop generating these images, but with the new versions of the AI, the photos only got clearer. There was no action taken from Midjourney’s side as they kept on updating their image service, which led to this federal lawsuit.
The studios claim resemblance to many copyrighted characters like Spider-Man, Elsa, Buzz Lightyear, Olaf, Deadpool, Darth Vader, Shrek, and more. The companies argue that the alleged firm has not paid for the rights to use these works, while stressing that using copyrighted content affects the creative industry negatively. They demand that AI should follow the same laws as other technologies.
Disney and NBCUniversal claim that Midjourney used their copyrighted works without approval to create and share images through its AI platform. The studios demand accountability. They want the court to stop Midjourney from using their intellectual property or pay for using the copyrighted content.
The companies believe that this case is part of a larger issue. They say that calling attention to the copyright infringement issues is crucial to support creative work in the US and all over the world.
This issue has become a landmark case in the entertainment industry, drawing attention to creative rights, ownership issues, copyright infringement, and the need to redefine AI training laws, ushering in a new era of ethical and licensed generative AI that protects the creative work of companies and individuals.