Warner Bros Sues Midjourney Over AI-Generated Character Images

Warner Bros has filed a lawsuit against AI startup Midjourney for copyright infringement, alleging that the company allows users to generate images and videos of characters such as Superman, Batman, and Bugs Bunny without permission. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, claims that Midjourney's practices involve using 'illegal copies' of Warner Bros' works to train its AI system, enabling users to create high-quality images of these characters in various scenes, reports Reuters.

Warner Bros argues that Midjourney has knowingly engaged in wrongful conduct by lifting previous restrictions that prevented subscribers from generating content based on infringing images. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, the return of profits earned from the alleged infringement, and a halt to further violations.

This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed in June by Disney and Universal against Midjourney for copyright infringement involving characters like Darth Vader and Shrek. Midjourney has defended its practices by citing the fair use doctrine of U.S. copyright law, arguing that training generative AI models on copyrighted works is legal.

The Motion Picture Association has endorsed Warner Bros' lawsuit, expressing concerns that unchecked copyright infringement could threaten the American motion picture industry, which supports millions of jobs and drives significant economic and cultural benefits.