Studios call AI tool a “bottomless pit of plagiarism”; seek legal action and damages
In a major legal move, Walt Disney and Comcast’s Universal have sued AI image generator Midjourney. They accuse the company of illegally reproducing copyrighted characters and visuals.
The lawsuit was filed in a federal district court in Los Angeles. It claims that Midjourney is a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.” The company allegedly created AI-generated images of iconic characters like Darth Vader, Elsa, Minions, Shrek, and Buzz Lightyear without permission.
Studios Accuse Midjourney of Monetizing Stolen Content
According to the legal complaint, Midjourney has been using copyrighted visual assets from both Disney and Universal to train its AI models—without obtaining proper licensing or permissions. The output: unauthorized, hyper-realistic images of famous characters generated through simple text prompts.
Despite repeated requests from the studios to cease using their material and implement safeguards, Midjourney allegedly ignored the warnings and released newer versions of its tool that increased the level of copyright violation.
“Piracy is piracy, and the fact that it’s done by an AI company doesn’t make it any less infringing,”
— Horacio Gutierrez, EVP & Chief Legal Officer, Disney
Call for Injunction and Damages
In their plea, Disney and Universal are seeking:
- A preliminary injunction to halt further copyright infringement
- A ban on Midjourney’s image and video-generation services unless safeguards are implemented
- Unspecified financial damages for past infringements
The studios argue that Midjourney, founded in 2021 by David Holz, has profited significantly from copyrighted material, earning $300 million in revenue last year through subscription models based on its AI services.
“This is about protecting the hard work of artists and the investment in creative content,”
— Kim Harris, EVP & General Counsel, NBCUniversal
History of Copyright Disputes in AI Art
This is not the first time Midjourney has faced legal trouble. In a separate ongoing case, artists have sued the company along with Stability AI for unauthorized use of human-created artwork to train their systems.
As AI tools become increasingly mainstream, the legal and ethical boundaries of training data and artistic ownership continue to spark intense global debate. The outcome of this lawsuit may set a critical precedent for the future of AI and intellectual property.
