Disney and NBCUniversal sue Midjourney for copyright infringement over AI-generated images

The Walt Disney Co. and NBCUniversal have filed a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claiming that its image-generating service infringes on their copyrighted works. This lawsuit is notable as it marks the first major legal action studios have taken against an AI company.

The studios accuse Midjourney of acting as a "virtual vending machine" for unauthorized copies of their copyrighted characters, such as Disney's Darth Vader and NBCUniversal's Minions, by generating high-quality images from simple text prompts. They argue that this constitutes piracy, as Midjourney creates copyrighted content without permission. The studios are seeking statutory damages, an accounting of Midjourney’s earnings from the alleged infringement, and an injunction to prevent further violations.

The lawsuit also raises concerns about Midjourney's use of copyrighted material for training its AI model and the potential infringement of a new video service. Disney and NBCUniversal emphasize the need to protect artists and creators, asserting that AI-generated content should be subject to the same copyright laws as other forms of media.

Midjourney has not yet commented on the lawsuit.