Disney and Universal sue Midjourney for content misuse

US entertainment giants Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Midjourney, in the first major legal battle between Hollywood studios and an artificial intelligence (AI) image generator.

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Since ChatGPT's arrival, numerous major players in music and media have sued several generative AI startups, accusing them of plundering the internet with disregard for intellectual property rights.

But the film and television industry has so far remained on the sidelines, despite calls from the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

Now, in federal court in Los Angeles, Disney and NBCUniversal (a subsidiary of cable operator Comcast) have accused San Francisco-based Midjourney of pirating their libraries and making "countless" copies of famous characters, including Darth Vader from "Star Wars," Elsa from "Frozen," and the Minions from "Despicable Me."

According to the lawsuit, Midjourney used the studios' artwork to train its rendering service and generate high-quality renderings featuring the companies' iconic characters.

" The fact that an image or video is created by AI or other technology does not constitute any less of an infringement of intellectual property rights ," the two companies argue.

They say they unsuccessfully asked Midjourney to stop misusing their content and express concern about the startup's upcoming commercialization of a generative AI interface for video. Disney and NBCUniversal estimate Midjourney will generate $300 million in revenue by 2024, just two years after its creation.

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In their lawsuit, they ask the court to order Midjourney to stop using their content without permission, in addition to restoring the revenue generated and paying damages. Under current laws, the generative AI platform could be fined up to $150,000 per work, they warn.

Contacted by AFP, Midjourney did not immediately respond. Many of the generative AI companies accused of misappropriation of content argue that they are covered by the legal notion of fair use, which could limit the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Dozens of lawsuits are ongoing, but no US court has yet issued a ruling on this AI-related issue.

AFP