Warner Bros. is suing AI startup Midjourney for copyright infringement. The company alleges that Midjourney allows its users to generate images and videos of characters such as Superman, Batman, and Bugs Bunny without permission.
Warner Bros states that Midjourney knowingly engaged in wrongful conduct. The complaint notes that the company previously restricted subscribers from generating content based on infringing images but recently lifted those protections. Warner Bros claims that Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners, despite being aware of the significant scope of its copyright infringement and piracy.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, the return of any profits earned from the alleged infringement, and a court order to halt further violations.
This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed in June by Walt Disney and Universal against Midjourney. That case also involves allegations of copyright infringement for the use of characters including Darth Vader, Bart Simpson, and Shrek. In response to the earlier suit, Midjourney has argued that using such works to train generative AI models is legal under the fair use doctrine of U.S. copyright law. Midjourney did not respond to a request for comment on this new lawsuit.