‘Bottomless pit of plagiarism’: Disney, Universal sue AI firm over copyright

Spokespersons for Midjourney have not yet responded to media requests for comment.

Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s executive vice president and chief legal officer, said in a statement: “We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity, but piracy is piracy, and the fact that it’s done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing,” News agency Reuters reported.

NBCUniversal Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kim Harris echoed that sentiment, saying the legal action is meant to “protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

The studios claim they asked Midjourney to cease using their copyrighted works and to implement safeguards against further infringement. But instead, they allege, the company pushed ahead with newer versions of its AI tool that produced even more realistic unauthorised images.

Midjourney’s service generates images from simple text prompts. In the lawsuit, seven corporate entities associated with Disney and Universal presented examples of AI-generated versions of well-known characters such as Yoda wielding a lightsaber, Bart Simpson skateboarding, Iron Man flying, and Buzz Lightyear soaring. Other examples include Universal’s Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, Shrek, and Po from Kung Fu Panda.

As per Reuters, the suit states: “By helping itself to plaintiffs’ copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney’s and Universal’s famous characters, without investing a penny in their creation, Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism.”

“Midjourney’s infringement is calculated and willful,” the suit further alleges.

Disney and Universal are now seeking a preliminary injunction to stop Midjourney from continuing to copy their works or offer image- and video-generation services without safeguards. They are also requesting unspecified damages.

The studios contend that Midjourney used their copyrighted content to train its AI and profit from its outputs through subscription models. Founded in 2021 by David Holz, Midjourney reportedly earned $300 million in revenue last year alone.

This isn’t Midjourney’s first brush with copyright complaints. In a separate lawsuit, a California federal judge ruled last year that artists could proceed with claims against Midjourney, Stability AI, and others over alleged unauthorised use of their artwork.

(With Inputs from Reuters)