Disney says these images show how Midjourney steals its characters
Disney and NBCUniversal sued the AI company Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement.
The lawsuit claims the tech creates unauthorized copies of works ranging from Star Wars to The Simpsons.
Hollywood has been cautious about AI, fearing its misuse, but investors see cost-cutting potential.
Hollywood is taking aim at the AI image generator Midjourney.
On Wednesday, Disney and NBCUniversal's movie studios sued Midjourney, alleging its product ripped off their famous characters in properties ranging from Star Wars to The Simpsons.
The media companies use colorful language in their 110-page copyright infringement lawsuit. They argue that Midjourney's tech amounts to a "virtual vending machine, generating endless unauthorized copies of Disney's and Universal's copyrighted works."
They call Midjourney "the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism."
Midjourney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Many news media companies, including Business Insider's parent Axel Springer, have struck deals with AI companies to help train their models. The film and TV industry, however, has been slower to follow because of worries that the nascent tech will be used to replace their IP and talent. AI has also been a battleground between Hollywood companies and the industry's labor unions.
Despite this, investors have poured money into AI companies that are aimed at Hollywood. These startups see the opportunity to use the tech to cut time and costs for making filmed entertainment.
This new lawsuit could throw a wrench in some of those plans. Of particular note, Disney and Universal included examples of images created by Midjourney's tools in their suit, side by side with the original source material, to show how close Midjourney's versions are to their characters.
The suit describes how when a user gave it a prompt like "Chewbacca, screenshot from movie," Midjourney generated images copying the movie companies' famous characters. According to the suit, a user doesn't have to request a specific Disney character for Midjourney to create one that copies its copyrighted work, giving the example of the prompt "Superhero fight scene" that produced an image that resembled Disney's Spider-Man.
Below are some examples they share in the lawsuit. What do you think?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Andor' star Genevieve O'Reilly on Mon Mothma's big speech and wedding dance: ‘Star Wars' always reaches for ‘the universal and the intimate'
Since Andor Season 2 is split into groups of three episodes, each taking place one year after the last, viewers see the characters in several different modes and periods of their lives. In particular, Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) plays quite a spectrum of emotions. In the first arc of the season, written by Andor creator Tony Gilroy, viewers see her navigate her daughter's wedding. It involves coaching her young daughter Leida (Bronte Carmichael) through bridal feelings and making covert political decisions with her fellow rebel leader Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). 'It's such an extraordinary thing that Tony and the writers did, to allow for such an arc this season starting with that wedding,' O'Reilly tells Gold Derby. 'There was an exploration of politics within the family home in Season 1, especially with her husband, so it's personal and political all at once, but the fact that the writers gave time to complex, nuanced mother-daughter scenes and husband-wife scenes within this massive umbrella of Star Wars allows for such an exploration of this woman.' More from GoldDerby Reality TV roundtable panel: 'American Idol,' 'Queer Eye,' 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,' 'The Traitors' 'The Traitors' producer Sam Rees-Jones on the 'messiest group' ever and why the turret was pure 'chaos' 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' producer Jeff Jenkins on how Taylor is an 'absolute unscripted superstar' Ledia's marriage to the son of oligarch Davo Sculdun (Richard Dillane) was arranged by Mon's childhood friend Tay Kolma (Ben Miles) back in Season 2, to help cover up Mon's financing of the nascent Rebellion. But Tay didn't understand the full extent of Mon's political activities, and starts to have second thoughts about getting involved with rebels as the wedding looms. Mon believes they can pay 'a number' to assuage Tay. Still, Luthen knows otherwise, and arranges to have Tay discreetly killed offscreen before he can incriminate Mon — the kind of difficult choice that revolutionaries sometimes have to make. Mon gets to process all of her emotions about that, as well as the wedding, the Rebellion, and everything else, in a kinetic, instantly meme-able dance scene in the third episode of Season 2. 'There's that scene with Luthen where she tacitly agrees to her friend being murdered. So then the chaos that is within her emerges through this big dance number,' O'Reilly says. 'I'm able to wrestle Mon Mothma out of what we've seen before, and give her all of this humanity. I feel like we all see ourselves in that dance. At different times in our lives, we've all done that dance for many different reasons. It's something we can really connect to, because I recognize her in that moment. I recognize myself in that moment.' On the other end of the Andor spectrum, the third arc of Season 2 finally depicts a crucial moment in Star Wars lore when Mon Mothma publicly denounces the Ghorman Massacre and then flees the Senate before the Empire's stormtroopers can arrest and/or kill her. This event was hinted at in O'Reilly's previous appearance as Mon on the animated series Star Wars Rebels. Still, now viewers get to see and hear Mon's dramatic speech denouncing the Emperor and calling the Ghorman repression a 'genocide.' O'Reilly has been looking forward to playing that scene for years, and it helped her play the other aspects of Mon Mothma. 'It felt deeply important to me. I felt that that was the crux of who this woman really is within the 20-year arc that I have had within this woman,' O'Reilly says. 'I did know it was coming, so it was something I was very much looking forward to as a performer and as an actor, and for us to be able to see her voice have a massive impact and to see the courage it took to have that voice. We also see the complexity around speeches. You don't just stand and give a speech. What is the straw that breaks the camel's back before it? What happens to make you actually be willing to set fire to your life? How afraid are you in that moment? What words can you put together? Dan Gilroy wrote that episode, and I know Tony was working with him in it, but what they did to really carve an understanding of what it is to have to give a speech like that was very important to me.' O'Reilly continues, 'As an actor, it felt like the centerpiece of that woman, and perhaps because I knew that was the centerpiece, it allowed for me to work backwards. It allows for the dance sequence and the mother-daughter scenes. You can spread your wings a bit if you know where you're going.' Andor's depiction of the Ghorman Massacre and Mon's fiery speech denouncing it fills an essential gap in Star Wars lore. But there's more than just fictional world-building going on. By so thoroughly fleshing out Mon Mothma's character and her stakes, O'Reilly and the Gilroys help viewers see connections between her struggles and political crises in our real world. 'The narrative is really driven by the individual characters. And so when we come to that speech in episode nine, we understand her cost,' O'Reilly says. 'We understand that she's not just a senator standing and giving a speech, that she is all of these things: A wife, a mother, a friend, a confidante. You understand that there is a fragile human at the center of these stories, and it does allow for us to recognize ourselves in it.' O'Reilly continues, 'I think Star Wars is always reaching for the universal and the intimate at once. The very first story was about starfighters, but it was also about family.' Best of GoldDerby Reality TV roundtable panel: 'American Idol,' 'Queer Eye,' 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,' 'The Traitors' 'The Traitors' producer Sam Rees-Jones on the 'messiest group' ever and why the turret was pure 'chaos' 'The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' producer Jeff Jenkins on how Taylor is an 'absolute unscripted superstar' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Hacks' Emmy Awards category submissions: Which episodes are being recognized?
Ahead of tonight's fourth season finale, the team behind last year's Best Comedy series winner Hacks has revealed its submissions for Emmy nominations, and Gold Derby has confirmed the list. Out in front is Deborah Vance herself, Jean Smart, who has won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for each of the three previous seasons, giving her six wins overall. She's currently the odds-on favorite to win again, according to Gold Derby's combined predictions. Her fellow cast members Hannah Einbinder, Megan Stalter, Paul W. Downs, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins have all also been submitted in their respective Supporting categories. More from GoldDerby Directors open up about identity, risk and emotional storytelling at Disney's FYC fest 'M*A*S*H' star Loretta Swit dies at 87, and more of today's top stories 'Maybe Happy Ending' star Darren Criss on his Tony nomination for playing a robot: 'Getting to do this is the true win' Behind the scenes, the show's trio of showrunners — Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky — are being submitted for writing the fourth season's penultimate episode, "A Slippery Slope." A win for the writing team would mark their third Emmy in the category. Max additionally put Downs down for his directing duty on the same episode. Recurring cast members Kaitlin Olson, Jane Adams, and Christopher McDonald are being joined by recent additions Robby Hoffmann, Tony Goldwynn, and Julianne Nicholson as Guest Actor and Actress submissions. Check out the rest of the below-the-line Emmy nomination submissions for Hacks below! Casting Linda Lowy, Morgan Smith Cinematography for a Series (Half-Hour) Adam Bricker "I Love L.A." Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) Rob Tokarz, Jeanine Ringer, Jennifer Lukehart "A Slippery Slope" Contemporary Costumes Kathleen Felix-Hager, Keely Crum "Heaven" Contemporary Hairstyling Aubrey Marie, Jennifer Bell, Becca Weber, Marva Stokes, Sade Stafford "I Love LA" Contemporary Makeup, Non-Prosthetic Debra Schrey, Erin Good Rosenmann, Rachel Galey, Denise DellaValle, Keith Sayer "I Love L.A." Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) Carlos Rafael Rivera, David Stal "A Slippery Slope" Music Supervision: Matt Biffa "I Love L.A." Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series and Animation Brett Hinton, Daniel Coleman, Ben Rauscher, Owen Granich-Young, Jordan Aldinger, Sam Munoz, Noel Vought, Adam DeCoster, Ben Zales, Brendan Leong "I Love L.A." Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series and Animation John W. Cook II, James Parnell, Jim Lakin Best of GoldDerby 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' — and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' TV directors roundtable: 'American Primeval,' 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' 'Paradise' 'Paradise' directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra on the 'chaos' of crafting 'the world coming to an end' Click here to read the full article.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Why Rick Moranis returning for Spaceballs 2 is a big deal
Why Rick Moranis returning for Spaceballs 2 is a big deal Thursday's announcement of the Spaceballs sequel hitting theaters in 2027 with the great Mel Brooks back as the omnipotent (and Spaceballs merch-laden) Yogurt was already great enough to begin with. However, the reported return of legendary comedic actor Rick Moranis as the Darth Vader spoof Dark Helmet by Deadline pushed this wave of movie news over the edge into truly special territory. Moranis remains one of the most beloved comedy actors of his generation, as the SC-TV alum transitioned into a successful film career. Beloved films of his include the Ghostbusters series, Strange Brew, Little Shop of Horrors, the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids series, Parenthood, Streets of Fire, My Blue Heaven and Little Giants. Outside of a handful of voice roles, including Disney's Brother Bear, Moranis hasn't acted in a live-action film since 1997's direct-to-video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. He hasn't acted in a live-action film sent to theaters since the Moranis-Tom Arnold two-hander Big Bully in 1996. Moranis did provide a voice cameo on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs as Dark Helmet in 2018, but this will be his first official reprisal of the character and his biggest project in film or television since Brother Bear. Moranis never technically retired, but he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015 he has no regrets about his extended acting hiatus. The publication wrote that his late wife, Ann, died from breast cancer in 1997, and he chose to focus on raising his two children after that tragic event. 'I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people,' Moranis told THR about his life before his break from the industry. 'I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.' Moranis had agreed to star in Disney's Honey, I Shrunk the Kids reboot with Josh Gad, but the latter shared in 2023 that the COVID-19 pandemic, scheduling and budget concerns all played a role in derailing that project. Now 72, Moranis will now officially work with Gad and reunite with Brooks and Bill Pullman, who will reprise his Spaceballs role as the Luke Skywalker/Han Solo parody Lone Starr, for the comedy sequel. Gad co-wrote the film's script and is expected to have an acting role in the project. Nope's Keke Palmer also reportedly has a role in the sequel. While this isn't Moranis' first sequel, the Spaceballs follow-up's 2027 arrival will bring Moranis back to the screen for the first time in 31 years. May the Schwartz be with him in his anticipated theatrical return.
