Warner Bros. Discovery filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney on Thursday, accusing the San Francisco-based company of allowing users to create unauthorized copies of iconic characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Scooby-Doo, and Bugs Bunny.
The entertainment giant joined Disney and Universal Pictures, who filed a similar lawsuit against Midjourney in June, making Warner Bros. Discovery the third major studio to take legal action against the AI company. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles federal court and covers Warner Bros. Entertainment and its subsidiaries, including DC Comics, The Cartoon Network, and Hanna-Barbera Productions.
Warner Bros. Discovery claims Midjourney allows subscribers to select iconic characters and generate, display, and distribute infringing images and videos without permission or authorization.
The lawsuit includes side-by-side comparisons of Warner Bros. characters and Midjourney's reproductions to demonstrate identical details, such as the color of Scooby-Doo's collar and fur. The complaint states that users can prompt Midjourney to create images of Superman "in a specific location or undertaking a specific action" and receive pictures of the iconic character, along with Batman, Wonder Woman, Tweety, and other copyrighted characters.
Warner Bros. Discovery pointed to evidence that Midjourney knows its conduct violates copyright law, noting that the AI company initially blocked users from creating videos with copyrighted characters after launching its video generation model, but later lifted those restrictions. The company also updated its terms of service to prohibit "redteaming," a safety process used by tech companies.
The entertainment company seeks unspecified damages and an injunction to stop further infringement. Warner Bros. Discovery could potentially seek statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringed work, which could result in significant financial consequences for Midjourney.
Midjourney, which reportedly has nearly 21 million users and generated an estimated $300 million in revenue in 2024, has not immediately responded to requests for comment. The company offers subscription tiers ranging from $10 to $120 per month for its AI image generation service.
The case represents part of a broader legal battle between entertainment companies and AI firms over copyright infringement, as the technology continues to raise questions about the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials to train AI models and generate content.
Originally published on Enstarz
