Warner Bros. Discovery has joined Disney and Universal in the legal battle against AI image generator Midjourney, accusing it of copyright infringement for allowing the creation of images and videos featuring iconic characters without authorization. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, cites figures such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, and Daffy Duck as examples of content allegedly misused.
Warner argues that Midjourney not only enabled this capability but also deliberately removed protective filters, allowing users to generate material that clearly violates intellectual property rights, something the studio describes as a “calculated, profit-driven decision.” The company is demanding financial compensation, the return of profits, and a court order to prevent future infringements.
Midjourney, for its part, has defended itself by invoking the doctrine of “fair use”, claiming that its model was trained on publicly available images. However, legal experts and law firms point out that such practices conflict with the exclusive rights of creation, distribution, and exhibition granted to copyright holders.
Why could this lawsuit change the future of creative AI?
Because if Warner Bros. secures a conviction or major settlement, it could set a legal precedent that restricts the unlicensed use of copyrighted material by AI, forcing the industry to develop a licensing model similar to the one used in music.
