Disney, Universal sue image creator Midjourney for copyright infringement, Entertainment News
LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney and Comcast's Universal filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney on Wednesday (June 11), calling its popular AI-powered image generator a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" for its use of the studios' best-known characters.
The suit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios, making and distributing without permission "innumerable" copies of characters such as Darth Vader from Star Wars, Elsa from Frozen, and the Minions from Despicable Me.
Spokespeople for Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's executive vice president and chief legal officer, said in a statement: "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, but piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing."
NBCUniversal Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kim Harris said the company was suing to "protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content."
The film industry trade group Motion Picture Association expressed support for the lawsuit and called for AI companies to respect intellectual property rights.
"Strong copyright protection is the backbone of our industry," MPA chairman Charles Rivkin said in a statement. "A balanced approach to AI that both protects intellectual property and embraces responsible, human-centred innovation is critical for maintaining America's global leadership in creative industries."
The studios claim in the lawsuit that the San Francisco company rebuffed their request to stop infringing their copyrighted works or, at a minimum, take technological measures to halt the creation of these AI-generated characters.
Instead, the studios argue, Midjourney continued to release new versions of its AI image service that boast higher quality infringing images.
Midjourney recreates animated images from a typed request, or prompt.
In the suit filed by seven corporate entities at the studios that own or control copyrights for the various Disney and Universal Pictures film units, the studios offered examples of Midjourney animations that include Disney characters, such as Yoda wielding a lightsaber, Bart Simpson riding a skateboard, Marvel's Iron Man soaring above the clouds and Pixar's Buzz Lightyear taking flight.
The image generator also recreated such Universal characters as How to Train Your Dragon's dragon, Toothless, the green ogre Shrek, and Po from Kung Fu Panda.
"By helping itself to plaintiffs' copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney's and Universal's famous characters — without investing a penny in their creation — Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," the suit alleges.
"Midjourney's infringement is calculated and wilful," it said. 'Big scrape of the internet'
Disney and Universal asked the court for a preliminary injunction, to prevent Midjourney from copying their works, or offering its image- or video-generation service without protections against infringement. The studios also seek unspecified damages.
The suit alleges Midjourney used the studios' works to train its image service and generate reproductions of their copyrighted characters. The company, founded in 2021 by David Holz, monetises the service through paid subscriptions and generated US$300 million (S$384 million) in revenue last year, the studios said.
[[nid:698128]]
This is not the first time Midjourney has been accused of misusing artists' work to train their AI systems.
A year ago, a California federal judge found that 10 artists behind a copyright infringement suit against Midjourney, Stability AI and other companies had plausibly argued these AI companies had copied and stored their work on company servers, and could be liable for using it without permission.
That ruling allowed the lawsuit over the unauthorised use of images to proceed. It is in the process of litigation.
The cases are part of a wave of lawsuits brought by copyright owners including authors, news outlets and record labels against tech companies over their use of copyrighted materials for AI training without permission.
In a 2022 interview with Forbes, Midjourney CEO Holz said he built the company's database by performing "a big scrape of the Internet."
Asked whether he sought consent of the artists whose work was covered by copyright, he responded, "there isn't really a way to get a hundred million images and know where they're coming from."
[[nid:715516]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
9 hours ago
- Business Times
Labubu-maker Pop Mart diversifies into jewellery with new concept store
[SHANGHAI] 'Blind box' toymaker Pop Mart, which has seen frenzied sales worldwide for products related to its ugly-cute Labubu character, opened its first jewellery store in Shanghai on Friday (Jun 13). The jewellery concept store, called Popop, sells accessories adorned with Pop Mart's top-selling characters, including Labubu, Molly and Skullpanda. While Chinese consumption remains subdued in the face of a prolonged property downturn and sluggish economy, Pop Mart's affordable and adorable toys have remained in high demand both at home and abroad, driving its share price up more than 200 per cent so far this year. Investor Zhang Zhanming, 34, who owns Pop Mart stocks worth 100 million yuan (S$17.9 million), flew from his base in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing for the opening to check out the new store type and decide whether to increase his shareholding in the company. 'I believe that the pricing and target audience for this brand are particularly well-suited, and I am confident that Pop Mart could potentially become China's version of Disney,' Zhang said, predicting that the company's market cap could double from its current US$45.65 billion valuation. Along with some Disney characters and others related to anime, comics and popular video games, Pop Mart's characters are seen as fulfilling what has been called 'emotional consumption', which sees young consumers spend on affordable luxuries that bring joy into their lives. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Fang Ke, 35, who has a birthday coming up this month decided to treat herself to a 699 yuan Labubu bracelet at the opening. 'I've loved Pop Mart for a long time; it's good-looking, brightly coloured, and also has a visual impact,' she said. 'My daughter likes it too.' At Popop, prices start at around 350 yuan for charms or a simple silver ring, and go as high as 2699 yuan for necklaces adorned with metallic models of the characters. Most pieces are priced at under 1,000 yuan. At a traditional Pop Mart store, the 'blind box' toys that the chain is best known for generally sell for 69 yuan and up, but consumers have shown a willingness to shell out much more for limited editions. Earlier this week, a Beijing auction house sold a human-sized Labubu figure for 1.08 million yuan, setting a new record and marking the toy's switch from craze to collectible. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Running clubs: Should you join one to improve your mindset and lifestyle?
Some see them as dating opportunities, while for others, it's a chance to learn more about themselves. Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah hunts for new perspectives on issues that matter to young people. Becoming a runner has always lingered in Natasha's mind, especially now that it's a 'thing' with young people. She sees others joining run clubs and signing up for marathons and triathlons, and even flying overseas to run in events or various locations. In this episode, she invites two runners to help her understand why they do it, and what keeps them coming back for more. Meliani Lee is a budding enthusiast who just decided one day to buy a nice pair of running shoes, while being deskbound in her job as a client lifecycle management specialist. She started long-distance running in 2023, and last year, completed one full marathon and three half-marathons. Arthur Tong is the founder and head coach of Elevate Performance Coaching. As an Ironman-certified coach, his philosophy isn't just about crossing finish lines, as he explains in this episode. (From left) Founder and head coach of Elevate Performance Coaching Arthur Tong, budding running enthusiast Meliani Lee and host Natasha Ann Zachariah discuss the growing appeal of run clubs among young people. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG Highlights (click/tap above): 2:50 Running: Love-hate relationship? Outlet while being tied to a deskbound job 5:22 Advantages of running: Can you start at any age? 6:00 How Arthur's client, a smoker, started running towards a healthy lifestyle in his 60s 6:50: What changed Mel's mindset towards running, being inspired by public habits 7:55 Everyone has their own motivations, even running in costumes; not 'taking yourself too seriously' 9:26 Is running the new 'dating trend'? Importance of community too, to support running newbies 11:20 Dynamics of run clubs 14:19 How do you get better or faster at running in marathons? 16:08 When do you know you are ready? 18:00 What they learn about themselves when it comes to running 19:00 Arthur being involved in marathons too, as a running guide for visually-impaired runners 20:15 Mel on dealing with mental roadblocks 23:07 Helping people discover their own 'whys' in discovering running 24:50 Coping with injuries, planning training with peaks and downtime 27:47 Calling couch potatoes: How to get out of the door and show up? Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah (natashaz@ Read Natasha's articles: Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: Filmed by ST Video: Edited by ST Podcast producers: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Natasha Liew ST Podcasts' executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: Feedback to: podcast@ --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: ST Podcasts website: ST Podcasts YouTube: --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: Google Play: Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
Disney, Universal sue image creator Midjourney for copyright infringement, Entertainment News
LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney and Comcast's Universal filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney on Wednesday (June 11), calling its popular AI-powered image generator a "bottomless pit of plagiarism" for its use of the studios' best-known characters. The suit, filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios, making and distributing without permission "innumerable" copies of characters such as Darth Vader from Star Wars, Elsa from Frozen, and the Minions from Despicable Me. Spokespeople for Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Horacio Gutierrez, Disney's executive vice president and chief legal officer, said in a statement: "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, but piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing." NBCUniversal Executive Vice President and General Counsel Kim Harris said the company was suing to "protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content." The film industry trade group Motion Picture Association expressed support for the lawsuit and called for AI companies to respect intellectual property rights. "Strong copyright protection is the backbone of our industry," MPA chairman Charles Rivkin said in a statement. "A balanced approach to AI that both protects intellectual property and embraces responsible, human-centred innovation is critical for maintaining America's global leadership in creative industries." The studios claim in the lawsuit that the San Francisco company rebuffed their request to stop infringing their copyrighted works or, at a minimum, take technological measures to halt the creation of these AI-generated characters. Instead, the studios argue, Midjourney continued to release new versions of its AI image service that boast higher quality infringing images. Midjourney recreates animated images from a typed request, or prompt. In the suit filed by seven corporate entities at the studios that own or control copyrights for the various Disney and Universal Pictures film units, the studios offered examples of Midjourney animations that include Disney characters, such as Yoda wielding a lightsaber, Bart Simpson riding a skateboard, Marvel's Iron Man soaring above the clouds and Pixar's Buzz Lightyear taking flight. The image generator also recreated such Universal characters as How to Train Your Dragon's dragon, Toothless, the green ogre Shrek, and Po from Kung Fu Panda. "By helping itself to plaintiffs' copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney's and Universal's famous characters — without investing a penny in their creation — Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," the suit alleges. "Midjourney's infringement is calculated and wilful," it said. 'Big scrape of the internet' Disney and Universal asked the court for a preliminary injunction, to prevent Midjourney from copying their works, or offering its image- or video-generation service without protections against infringement. The studios also seek unspecified damages. The suit alleges Midjourney used the studios' works to train its image service and generate reproductions of their copyrighted characters. The company, founded in 2021 by David Holz, monetises the service through paid subscriptions and generated US$300 million (S$384 million) in revenue last year, the studios said. [[nid:698128]] This is not the first time Midjourney has been accused of misusing artists' work to train their AI systems. A year ago, a California federal judge found that 10 artists behind a copyright infringement suit against Midjourney, Stability AI and other companies had plausibly argued these AI companies had copied and stored their work on company servers, and could be liable for using it without permission. That ruling allowed the lawsuit over the unauthorised use of images to proceed. It is in the process of litigation. The cases are part of a wave of lawsuits brought by copyright owners including authors, news outlets and record labels against tech companies over their use of copyrighted materials for AI training without permission. In a 2022 interview with Forbes, Midjourney CEO Holz said he built the company's database by performing "a big scrape of the Internet." Asked whether he sought consent of the artists whose work was covered by copyright, he responded, "there isn't really a way to get a hundred million images and know where they're coming from." [[nid:715516]]
