Warner Bros. Discovery sues Midjourney for generating ‘countless’ copies of its characters

Midjourney allegedly generated these images of Batman and the Joker. | Image: Warner Bros. Discovery via Midjourney

Warner Bros. Discovery is suing Midjourney implicit claims the AI startup “brazenly dispenses its intelligence spot arsenic if it were its own,” arsenic reported earlier by The Hollywood Reporter. In the lawsuit, Warner Bros. Discovery alleges that Midjourney generated “countless” infringing images and videos of its copyrighted characters, including Superman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, and more.

Warner Bros. Discovery accuses Midjourney of reproducing, displaying, and distributing “unauthorized derivatives” of its intelligence spot done its AI representation and video procreation tools. Throughout the lawsuit, Warner Bros. Discovery shares respective examples of however Midjourney’s AI tools look to person generated images of copyrighted characters, similar Wonder Woman, Tweety, the Power Puff Girls, and adjacent Rick and Morty successful effect to prompts asking to spot the characters successful definite situations.

Additionally, Warner Bros. Discover claims that Midjourney volition make infringing images adjacent if prompts don’t notation a circumstantial character. For instance, Midjourney allegedly generated downloadable images of Superman, Batman, and Flash aft receiving the prompt, “classic comic publication superhero battle.” Midjourney is facing a akin copyright lawsuit from Disney and Universal, which called the company’s AI representation generator a “virtual vending machine” that generates “endless authorized copies” of their work.

Warner Bros. Discovery claims Midjourney is alert of the “breathtaking scope of its piracy and copyright infringement” but refuses to support copyright holders.

“It is hard to ideate copyright infringement that is immoderate much willful than what Midjourney is doing here,” the suit states. “Midjourney is purposefully exploiting Warner Bros. Discovery’s invaluable intelligence spot to pull subscribers to Midjourney, and it is profiting by providing subscribers with endless copies and derivatives of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Copyrighted Works.”

Warner Bros. Discovery is suing Midjourney for damages related to the alleged copyright infringement, and is asking the tribunal to artifact Midjourney from copying, displaying, oregon distributing its intelligence property, arsenic good arsenic to halt the institution from offering AI tools without copyright extortion measures. Midjourney didn’t instantly respond to a petition for comment.