Warner Bros Entertainment Vs Midjourney:Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) has filed a lawsuit against AI photo generator Midjourney, accusing the company of stealing the studio’s iconic characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Scooby-Doo, and Bugs Bunny, to create high-quality downloadable images without permission or consent from the studio. The complaint was filed on Thursday in the Los Angeles federal court.
Alleged Copyright Violations And AI Training
According to Warner Bros, Midjourney used the studio’s copyrighted works to train its AI system, enabling subscribers to generate images of these characters “in every imaginable scene.”
The lawsuit claims that Midjourney knowingly continued its practices despite previously blocking some infringing content, only to remove those protections last month while promoting it as an improvement.
“Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners even though it knows the breathtaking scope of its piracy and copyright infringement,” the filing said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, disgorgement of profits, and an injunction to stop further infringements.
This action follows a similar June lawsuit against Midjourney by Walt Disney and Comcast’s Universal, targeting characters like Darth Vader, Bart Simpson, Shrek, and Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
Midjourney, founded in 2022 by David Holz, has nearly 21 million users and reportedly earned $300 million in 2024, according to Warner Bros’ filing.
Midjourney’s Defence And Warner Bros’ Statement
Midjourney has defended its practices in court, arguing that copyright law “does not confer absolute control” and that using copyrighted material to train AI models qualifies as fair use.
Warner Bros Discovery emphasised that the lawsuit is about protecting its creative content, partners, and investments. Its operations include Warner Bros Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, and The Cartoon Network.
The case is officially titled Warner Bros Entertainment Inc et al v Midjourney Inc, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 25-08376.
