Disney and Universal took a notable legal step against the generative AI startup Midjourney, filing a lawsuit highlighting growing tensions around AI and copyright in Hollywood. This case could be a key moment as studios react to AI’s use of their intellectual property.
Generative AI creates new content based on existing works, and the technology has been under scrutiny recently for training on copyrighted materials without explicit permission. Earlier reports revealed that over 130,000 movie and TV scripts were used to train some AI models, raising questions about how these systems learn and what they produce.
Disney and Universal argue that Midjourney has taken advantage of countless copyrighted works, allowing users to generate images featuring iconic characters like Frozen’s Elsa, The Simpsons’ Homer, Darth Vader, Shrek, Minions, and Spider-Man. The complaint calls Midjourney a “bottomless pit of plagiarism,” which is quite a strong claim.
Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s general counsel, expressed a balanced view: While optimistic about AI’s potential as a creative tool, he emphasized that piracy remains piracy, no matter if an AI is involved. NBCUniversal’s Kim Harris added that the lawsuit aims to protect the hard work of artists and the studios’ investments.
As AI-generated video technology grows, concerns about unauthorized use of studio properties are only likely to increase. This lawsuit might be the first of many as the entertainment industry determines how to respond.
Have you seen AI-generated art featuring your favorite characters? What do you think about this legal battle? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
