Disney and NBCUniversal Sue Midjourney Over Copyright Infringement
Disney and NBCUniversal have filed a lawsuit against Midjourney for unauthorized copyright use.
Key Points
- • Disney and NBCUniversal filed a lawsuit against Midjourney in Los Angeles.
- • They accuse Midjourney of generating unauthorized copies of their content.
- • The lawsuit seeks $150,000 per infringed work and a stop to content use.
- • Midjourney is projected to generate $300 million in revenue by 2024.
Disney and NBCUniversal have launched a lawsuit against the AI image generator Midjourney in a federal court in Los Angeles, accusing the company of unauthorized use of copyrighted content. This legal action highlights ongoing concerns within the entertainment industry regarding intellectual property rights and the influence of AI on creative works.
The lawsuit includes allegations that Midjourney creates infinite unauthorized copies of major franchises, with specific reference to images of iconic characters like Darth Vader from 'Star Wars' and the Minions from Universal's animated movies. Disney and NBCUniversal claim that they attempted to resolve the issue directly with Midjourney but were unsuccessful. They express especial concern over the company’s plans to commercialize an AI interface for video content generation.
As outlined in the legal documents, the entertainment giants seek $150,000 in damages for each infringed work and a complete halt to Midjourney's use of their intellectual properties. Notably, Midjourney is on track to generate an estimated $300 million in revenue by 2024, just two years after its inception, which further emphasizes the scale and potential financial implications of this lawsuit.
This case marks a significant moment in the ongoing discourse surrounding generative AI technologies and their impact on intellectual property rights in the creative industries.