NBCUniversal and Disney have joined forces to take Midjourney, a generative AI company, to court in California over alleged copyright infringement, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Axios.
The suit marks the first legal action brought by a major studio against a generative AI company over concerns that Midjourney’s systems have been trained using copyrighted material and function as a “virtual vending machine” for unauthorized copies of protected works.
The complaint alleges that Midjourney’s infringements are willful and have continued even after the plaintiffs requested the company cease using their copyrighted material. Instead of complying, the suit claims, Midjourney “doubled down” by releasing upgraded tools that generate, display, and distribute images and videos containing copyrighted content.
The 110-page complaint lists dozens of alleged instances of infringement and claims that Midjourney earned more than $300 million in revenue in 2024, in part through willful copyright violations.
A representative for Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mitch Glazier, CEO and Chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), applauded the decision to sue Midjourney.
“There is a clear path forward through partnerships that both further AI innovation and foster human artistry. Unfortunately, some bad actors—like Midjourney—see only a zero-sum, winner-take-all game. These short-sighted AI companies are stealing human-created works to generate machine-created, virtually identical products for their own commercial gain. That is not only a violation of black-letter copyright law but also manifestly unfair. This action by Disney and Universal represents a critical stand for human creativity and responsible innovation,” Glazier said in a statement released by the RIAA.
