Disney Takes Legal Action Against Midjourney for Major Copyright Infringement

Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a lawsuit against AI company Midjourney in a California district court, accusing it of widespread copyright infringement through its AI image generation technology. The complaint highlights Midjourney’s alleged failure to heed previous requests to stop violating their intellectual property rights. The lawsuit marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between copyright holders and AI firms, representing the first major legal action from Hollywood studios against a generative AI company. Disney’s chief legal officer emphasized the necessity of copyright law in supporting creativity, stating that “piracy is piracy,” regardless of its source. The lawsuit cites examples of users generating copyrighted characters, such as Darth Vader, in violation of intellectual property rights. Both companies aim to protect the creative efforts of artists and foresee a potentially lengthy legal battle as the framework for AI copyright issues remains murky.

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