Warner Bros. Discovery Sues AI Firm Midjourney for Copyright Infringement

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement of its iconic characters. This legal action follows similar suits by Disney and Universal, highlighting growing tensions between entertainment giants and AI companies.

Warner Bros. Discovery Takes Legal Action Against Midjourney

Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement of its iconic characters. The entertainment giant claims that Midjourney has violated copyright protections by allowing users to create images and videos featuring protected characters such as Batman, Superman, Scooby-Doo, and Bugs Bunny without permission

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Source: TweakTown

Source: TweakTown

Allegations and Evidence

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, accuses Midjourney of reproducing, displaying, and distributing "unauthorized derivatives" of Warner Bros. Discovery's intellectual property through its AI image and video generation tools

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. The company alleges that Midjourney has generated "countless" infringing images and videos of its copyrighted characters

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Warner Bros. Discovery claims that Midjourney's actions are "calculated and profit-driven," offering "zero protection for copyright owners" despite being aware of the "breathtaking scope of its piracy and copyright infringement"

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. The lawsuit cites Midjourney's recent release of a video generation model as evidence of the AI firm's knowledge of copyright infringement

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Broader Context and Industry Impact

This legal action follows similar lawsuits filed by Disney and Universal against Midjourney earlier this year

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. The entertainment companies collectively argue that Midjourney's AI-generated content constitutes "textbook copyright infringement"

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The lawsuit highlights the growing tensions between entertainment giants and AI companies over copyright issues in the age of artificial intelligence. It raises questions about the use of copyrighted materials in training AI models and whether AI-generated content meets the legal definition of infringement

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Midjourney's Position and Industry Response

Midjourney, which had nearly 21 million users as of September 2024 and an estimated $300 million in revenue in 2024, has not immediately responded to requests for comment on the Warner Bros. Discovery lawsuit

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. However, in a previous filing related to the Disney and Universal case, Midjourney argued that copyright law "does not confer absolute control" over the use of copyrighted works and that using these works to train generative AI models amounts to fair use

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Implications for the AI Industry

Source: Digit

Source: Digit

The lawsuit against Midjourney is part of a broader trend of legal challenges facing AI companies. Many authors, news media, record labels, and other copyright owners have accused AI firms of using their materials without permission

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. Recent court decisions have favored AI companies like Anthropic and Meta, ruling that their use of copyrighted materials for training constitutes fair use

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What's Next

As this is just the initial step in the legal process, Midjourney users should not expect immediate interruptions to the service

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Source: The Verge

Source: The Verge

The case underscores the need for clearer legal frameworks and industry standards regarding the use of copyrighted materials in AI training and content generation. As the technology continues to evolve, the balance between innovation and intellectual property protection remains a critical issue for both the entertainment and AI industries.

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