US entertainment giant Walt Disney and other studios have filed a lawsuit against an artificial intelligence startup, claiming it violated their copyrights when creating images with generative AI.
US media say this is the first time major Hollywood companies have filed a lawsuit over allegations of copyright infringement involving AI.
Companies related to Walt Disney and NBCUniversal filed the lawsuit against AI startup Midjourney on Wednesday in a federal district court in California.
The lawsuit alleges that services offered by Midjourney created images resembling characters in the global hit Star Wars and other films without permission. They included images that the companies say were created with generative AI.
The plaintiffs criticized Midjourney in the lawsuit as being “the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism.” They are asking the court to issue an injunction order prohibiting actions including the generation and distribution of images that violate their copyrights.
The companies said they decided to file the suit after Midjourney did not respond to their request to take measures.
