Disney and Universal have sued generative AI platform Midjourney for allegedly training its art models on their copyrighted content without permission.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, claims Midjourney ignored prior demands to stop using their intellectual property. The studios included examples of AI-generated images showing characters like Homer Simpson and Darth Vader.
The studios want monetary damages, a jury trial, and a ban on Midjourney’s further copyright violations. Midjourney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 
Tech firms like OpenAI have pushed for legal protections to train AI on publicly available works, including copyrighted ones, without creator approval or pay. Studios have dabbled in generative AI but only in limited ways so far.
The case adds fresh legal heat as AI art tools grow more popular and controversial.
