AI Firms Face Copyright Infringement Allegations

Published on 6.11.25

  The AI industry is facing a growing number of copyright infringement lawsuits, with two Hollywood studios, Disney and Universal, filing complaints against Midjourney in federal court in Los Angeles. The companies claim that the San Francisco-based AI company pirated their libraries to generate and distribute unauthorized copies of their copyrighted characters. This case joins a growing trend of lawsuits against other AI developers, including OpenAI and Anthropic, who argue that they are using publicly accessible online content under fair use provisions in American copyright law to train their systems. Midjourney's CEO, David Holz, has argued that AI-generated images are similar to human learning from others' work, citing the fair use doctrine as a defense. The lawsuit claims that Midjourney produced replicas of copyright-protected characters from various franchises, including Disney's Star Wars and Universal's Minions. This case is set to conclude later this month, with a judge's decision potentially impacting the AI industry's push for expanded copyright exemptions for AI training.

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