01:48 PM EDT, 06/11/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with NBCUniversal's response in the sixth paragraph.)

Walt Disney ( DIS ) and Comcast's ( CMCSA ) Universal filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the AI image generator of unauthorized use of characters such as Homer Simpson and Shrek in a "virtual vending machine."

The suit, filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California, accuses Midjourney of copying multiple characters from Disney ( DIS ) and Universal films without permission.

The AI company's infringement is "calculated and willful" as Midjourney ignored requests to stop using copyrighted material or put limits on the generation of the characters, the 110-page lawsuit said. Instead, the company continued improving its generator making it easier to create high-quality versions of copyrighted images based on simple text prompts, the suit said.

Disney ( DIS ) and Universal asked the court for a preliminary injunction to stop Midjourney from using or distributing their content without protection against copyright infringement, as well as unspecified damages.

"We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity," Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's ( DIS ) chief legal and compliance officer, said in an emailed statement to MT Newswires. "But piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing."

"We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content," NBCUniversal's Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kim Harris said in an emailed response to MT Newswires, adding, "theft is theft regardless of the technology used, and this action involves blatant infringement of our copyrights."

Midjourney didn't immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comment.

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