Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against Midjourney, an artificial intelligence startup, alleging that the company has improperly utilized its intellectual property. The lawsuit, reported by The Hollywood Reporter, claims that Midjourney has generated numerous unauthorized images and videos featuring copyrighted characters such as Superman, Bugs Bunny, and Scooby-Doo.
Warner Bros. Discovery accuses Midjourney of reproducing, displaying, and distributing “unauthorized derivatives” of its characters through its AI-generated content. The lawsuit provides instances in which Midjourney’s AI tools produced images of well-known characters like Wonder Woman and Rick and Morty after users requested specific portrayals.
Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery asserts that Midjourney’s AI can create infringing images even without explicit character prompts. For example, the lawsuit mentions that images of Superman, Batman, and Flash were generated in response to a prompt requesting a “classic comic book superhero battle.” Midjourney is also facing similar legal challenges from Disney and Universal, which accuse the company of creating unauthorized reproductions of their works.
Warner Bros. Discovery claims that Midjourney is aware of the extensive nature of what they describe as piracy and copyright infringement but has not taken steps to safeguard copyright holders’ rights. The lawsuit states that “it is hard to imagine copyright infringement that is any more willful” than Midjourney’s actions, suggesting that the company profits from creating derivatives of Warner Bros. Discovery’s copyrighted materials to attract subscribers.
In light of these allegations, Warner Bros. Discovery seeks damages related to the alleged copyright infringement and requests the court to prevent Midjourney from copying, displaying, or distributing its intellectual property. The company also aims to stop Midjourney from offering its AI tools without adequate copyright protection measures. Midjourney has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/772101/midjourney-ai-generator-warner-bros-lawsuit