Disney And Universal Sue Midjourney Over AI-Generated Images Of Iconic Characters

Disney and Universal have filed a lawsuit against AI image platform Midjourney, accusing it of mass-producing unauthorised images of iconic characters like Shrek, Darth Vader, and Buzz Lightyear.

Filed in a California federal court, the suit marks one of Hollywood’s first major legal battles with generative AI.

The studios argue that Midjourney’s tool functions like a digital vending machine, freely generating images based on copyrighted characters without permission or compensation.

They claim the platform is profiting off their intellectual property to promote its services, offering examples of AI-generated images of characters such as Yoda, Elsa, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.

Despite repeated requests to cease such use, the studios allege Midjourney has ignored warnings.

They also raise concerns about Midjourney’s upcoming video generation tool, which they believe is already being trained on copyrighted content and poses an even greater risk of infringement.