This lawsuit marks the first major legal action taken by Hollywood studios against a generative AI company, representing a significant escalation in the ongoing battle between copyright holders and AI firms.12 Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, the complaint includes dozens of visual examples demonstrating how Midjourney allegedly produces replicas of copyright-protected characters.13 Both Disney and Universal claim they attempted to resolve the issue through discussion before taking legal action, but unlike other AI platforms that implemented protective measures, Midjourney allegedly ignored their demands and continued releasing new versions with "even higher quality infringing images."14

The studios are seeking maximum statutory damages, an accounting of Midjourney's proceeds from the alleged infringement, and injunctive relief.4 Disney's chief legal compliance officer Horacio Gutierrez stated that while they are "bullish on the promise of AI technology," they believe "piracy is piracy, and the fact that it's done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing."51 This case could set important precedents for how copyright law applies to generative AI technologies across the entertainment industry.

In their lawsuit, Disney and Universal characterize Midjourney as "the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism," accusing the AI company of calculated and willful infringement.12 The studios allege that Midjourney's image service functions essentially as a "virtual vending machine" that creates "endless unauthorized copies" of their copyrighted works without investing anything in their creation.2 The complaint specifically targets how Midjourney allegedly helps itself to the studios' intellectual property and then distributes images that blatantly incorporate famous characters from franchises like The Lion King, Aladdin, Frozen, Marvel, Star Wars, Shrek, and Minions.32

The studios argue that Midjourney could implement preventative measures against copyright infringement, noting that the company already has systems in place to block the creation of images containing violence or nudity.4 Kim Harris, NBCUniversal's executive vice president and general counsel, emphasized the studios' position by stating, "Theft is theft regardless of the technology used, and this action involves blatant infringement of our copyrights."2 This characterization frames the dispute not as opposition to AI technology itself, but as a defense of intellectual property rights in the digital age.

The lawsuit includes over 30 visual examples demonstrating Midjourney's alleged copyright infringement, placing AI-generated images side-by-side with the studios' original works. The filing shows striking similarities between Midjourney-created images and iconic characters such as Yoda, Darth Vader, Iron Man, the Hulk, and animated characters from Frozen, The Simpsons, Shrek, and Kung Fu Panda.1 The AI-generated versions closely mimic specific details like the logos on Lightning McQueen's side and Buzz Lightyear's space suit.1 Other examples include Bart Simpson on a skateboard, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, and various Minions characters.23

Disney's 100-plus-page complaint meticulously documents how Midjourney enables users to recreate characters from Disney's various universes, including Marvel and Star Wars.4 According to intellectual property lawyer Robert Rosenberg, "The only way the AI platforms can output an image of Yoda, Shrek or Darth Vader is because they have trained their model by ingesting copyrighted images of these characters. They are not inventing new characters here."4 The studios argue these examples clearly demonstrate that Midjourney trained its model on their copyrighted content without permission, resulting in unauthorized replicas rather than original creative works.25