Michaela
Entertainment powerhouses Disney and Universal have initiated legal action against artificial intelligence (AI) firm Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement by its image-generating software. This lawsuit follows the AI company’s reported disregard for requests to implement measures preventing the unauthorized use of copyrighted material.
In a legal complaint submitted Wednesday in Los Angeles, Disney, and Universal contend that Midjourney has utilized copyrighted character works to train its large language model (LLM) and subsequently distributed images featuring these protected characters.
“Midjourney, however, seeks to reap the rewards of Plaintiffs’ creative investment by selling an artificial intelligence (“AI”) image-generating service (“Image Service”) that functions as a virtual
vending machine, generating endless unauthorized copies of Disney’s and Universal’s copyrighted works,” the filing wrote.
A Large Language Model (LLM) is an artificial intelligence program designed to understand, generate, and process human language. It achieves this by being trained on immense datasets of text and code, allowing it to recognize patterns and perform various linguistic tasks, from writing articles to answering complex questions.
The legal complaint emphasized the alleged unauthorized copying of iconic figures across Disney and Universal’s vast intellectual property. This includes characters from Star Wars, The Lion King, The Simpsons, Marvel, Boss Baby, and Shrek franchises.
Furthermore, the legal complaint asserts that Midjourney’s subscribers can direct its image generation service to produce visual content based on copyrighted material, which is then available for download and use.
Disney’s filing further charges that Midjourney leverages these protected works to generate and disseminate images that conspicuously replicate famous characters, all without any original investment in their creation.
The studio characterizes Midjourney as unfairly profiting from existing intellectual property, effectively operating as an extensive source of unauthorized duplication.
“Midjourney’s conduct misappropriates Disney’s and Universal’s intellectual property and threatens to upend the bedrock incentives of U.S. copyright law that drive American leadership in movies, television, and other creative arts,” the filing wrote.
Additionally, the filing indicated that prior to initiating legal action, Disney and Universal sought to resolve the matter directly with Midjourney. They reportedly requested that the AI firm cease infringing on their copyrighted properties and, at a minimum, implement technological safeguards, similar to those utilized by other AI services to prevent the generation of unauthorized material. Midjourney, however, allegedly disregarded these appeals.
“Instead, Midjourney has chosen to double down on its unlawful actions by releasing and promoting even newer versions of its Image Service and teasing its soon-to-be-released commercial AI video service (“Video Service”),” the filing wrote.
In their legal filing, Disney and Universal are petitioning the court for a preliminary injunction. This legal maneuver aims to prohibit Midjourney from continuing to offer its image and video-generation services unless it implements effective safeguards to prevent users from creating visuals based on copyrighted materials.
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Michaela has no crypto positions and does not hold any crypto assets. This article is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The Shib Magazine and The Shib Daily are the official media and publications of the Shiba Inu cryptocurrency project. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.
