On June 11, 2025, Disney and NBCUniversal jointly filed a groundbreaking copyright infringement lawsuit in U.S. federal court against the AI image generator Midjourney. This marks the first major legal battle where Crown Hollywood studios directly challenge an AI company for allegedly repurposing copyrighted characters.
The studios argue that Midjourney has “pirated” their characters—Darth Vader, Elsa, the Minions, Shrek, Wolverine, and many more—using them to train its AI and produce new images without permission. They describe Midjourney as a “bottomless pit of plagiarism” and “free‑rider of the copyright system”.
Legal Flames & Industry Reactions
Disney’s legal chief, Horacio Gutierrez, emphasized that while AI has creative potential, “piracy is piracy … regardless of who does it" NBCUniversal’s general counsel, Kim Harris, added that the suit is about protecting the hard work of artists and their content investments Critics note this lawsuit may redefine how generative AI is developed and deployed, challenging “fair use” defenses and potentially requiring AI firms to retrain on licensed content only.
The Broader Implications
The case questions whether AI training on web-scraped, copyrighted material violates intellectual property rights—a rapidly evolving legal battleground.
Similar suits have already emerged: artists suing AI companies, publishers defending text-based content, and a UK backlash against statutory scraping proposals.
Earlier precedent includes a 2022 judge allowing an artist-led suit against Midjourney and others to proceed, signaling courts are taking this issue seriously.
What's Next?
Disney and Universal are seeking a preliminary injunction to stop image/video generation using their IP, unspecified damages and a jury trial.
For Midjourney—and the broader AI industry—this case could enforce stricter licensing norms and potentially curb unauthorized use of creative works. Some expect a chilling effect on AI innovation unless companies pivot toward licensed, vetted data
