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Midjourney accused of infringing copyrighted works

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Warner Bros objects to 'breathtaking' piracy

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Midjourney, lawyers not available for comment

By Jonathan Stempel

Sept 4 (Reuters) - Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) sued

the AI photo generation company Midjourney on Thursday, saying

it brazenly stole the studio's works to generate images of

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo and other

copyrighted characters.

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court, Warner

Bros said the theft enabled Midjourney to train its image and

video service to offer subscribers high quality, downloadable

images of its characters in "every imaginable scene."

Warner Bros also said Midjourney knew its conduct was wrongful

because it once blocked subscribers from generating videos from

many infringing images, only to lift that protection measure

last month while touting the change as an "improvement."

"Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision

to offer zero protection for copyright owners even though

Midjourney knows about the breathtaking scope of its piracy and

copyright infringement," the complaint said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and disgorgement of

profits, and a halt to further infringements.

It follows a similar lawsuit filed in June against

Midjourney by Walt Disney ( DIS ) and Comcast's ( CMCSA )

Universal over characters including Darth Vader, Bart Simpson,

Shrek and Ariel from "The Little Mermaid."

Launched in 2022 and led by founder David Holz, San

Francisco-based Midjourney had nearly 21 million users as of

September 2024 and an estimated $300 million of revenue in 2024,

according to Warner Bros' complaint.

Midjourney and its lawyers did not immediately respond to

requests for comment.

In an August 6 filing in the Disney ( DIS ) and Universal case,

Midjourney said copyright law "does not confer absolute control"

over the use of copyrighted works.

It also said using those works to train generative AI models

amounted to fair use, helping ensure the free flow of ideas and

information.

Many authors, news media, record labels and other copyright

owners have accused AI companies, large and fledgling, in

lawsuits of using their materials without permission.

"The heart of what we do is develop stories and characters

to entertain our audiences, bringing to life the vision and

passion of our creative partners," a spokesperson for Warner

Bros Discovery ( WBD ) said. "We filed this suit to protect our content,

our partners and our investments."

Warner Bros Discovery's ( WBD ) operations include Warner Bros

Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera

and The Cartoon Network.

The case is Warner Bros Entertainment Inc et al v Midjourney

Inc, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No.

25-08376.