Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney over images

Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney over images

Disney and Universal are suing artificial intelligence (AI) firm Midjourney over its image generator, which the Hollywood giants allege is a "bottomless pit of plagiarism".

The two studios claim Midjourney's tool makes "innumerable" copies of characters including Darth Vader from Star Wars, Frozen's Elsa, and the Minions from Despicable Me.

It is part of the entertainment industry's ongoing love-hate relationship with AI. Many studios want to make use of the technology but are concerned that their creations could be stolen.

Disney's chief legal officer Horacio Gutierrez said the firm was "optimistic" about how AI "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," he said.

In the complaint, Disney and Universal said Midjourney made $300m last year alone and is planning a "soon-to-be-released video service".

Syracuse University law professor Shubha Ghosh said: "A lot of the images that Midjourney produces just seem to be copies of copyright characters that might be in new locations or with a new background. It doesn't seem like they're being transformed in a creative or imaginative way."

Randy McCarthy, head of the IP Law Group at US law firm Hall Estill said: "No litigation is ever a slam dunk, and that is true for Disney and Universal in this case. There are several issues such as terms of service provisions by Midjourney, and basic fair use analysis, that will need to be sorted out by the court before we can determine the likely outcome."