June 11 (UPI) -- Disney and NBCUniversal have joined legal teams in a lawsuit against AI image maker Midjourney over multiple claims of copyright infringement.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in California's U.S. central district claimed that Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence startup, utilized and distributed proprietary AI-generated characters from NBCU and Disney productions such as the Simpsons, Star Wars, Toy Story, Shrek and others.
It marked the first AI-related infringement lawsuit taken on by a Hollywood giant.
"This is an extremely significant development," IP lawyer Chad Hummel told Wired.
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Meanwhile, Universal and Disney have petitioned for a jury trial and argue it risks upending "the bedrock incentives of U.S. copyright law."
The two plaintiffs claimed that Midjourney's own website displayed "hundreds, if not thousands, of images generated by its Image Service at the request of its subscribers" they believed infringed on their copyrighted works.
"Midjourney's bootlegging business model and defiance of U.S copyright law are not only an attack on Disney, Universal, and the hard-working creative community that brings the magic of movies to life, but are also a broader threat to the American motion picture industry," the complaint continued.
The joint suit further says that San Francisco-based Midjourney allegedly ignored prior legal requests to cease and desist and included dozens of examples in the complaint, calling Midjourney a "bottomless pit of plagiarism."
In 2023, Midjourney reported more than $200 million in revenue and in 2024 took in an additional $100 million on top of it to beat the prior year.
"Midjourney, which has attracted millions of subscribers and made $300 million last year alone, is focused on its own bottom line and ignored Plaintiffs' demands," according to court documents.
The two movie studios seek an unspecified amount in monetary damages, and further requested injunctive relief in order to prevent Midjourney from any future copyright violations.
