Warner Bros. Discovery’s Legal Action

Warner Bros. Discovery has taken legal action against Midjourney, an AI startup that offers image and video generation services. The lawsuit contends that Midjourney "brazenly dispenses" the media company’s intellectual property as if it were its own, creating countless infringing images of well‑known characters.

Allegations of Widespread Infringement

The complaint asserts that Midjourney’s tools produce unauthorized derivatives of Warner Bros. Discovery’s copyrighted works. Examples cited include images of iconic characters such as Superman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby‑Doo, Wonder Woman, Tweety, the Power Puff Girls, and even characters from other popular series. The lawsuit notes that Midjourney can generate these images even when prompts are generic, such as a request for a classic comic‑book superhero battle, which allegedly results in downloadable depictions of multiple superheroes.

Claims of Willful Exploitation

Warner Bros. Discovery argues that Midjourney is fully aware of the extensive scope of the alleged piracy yet continues to provide the content without safeguards. The company describes the behavior as willful and purposeful, stating that Midjourney is exploiting valuable intellectual property to attract and retain subscribers, profiting from the distribution of endless copies and derivatives of protected works.

Relief Sought

The lawsuit seeks a court order that would block Midjourney from reproducing, displaying, or distributing Warner Bros. Discovery’s copyrighted material. It also requests that the AI service implement measures to protect the rights of copyright holders and to cease offering tools that generate infringing content without proper safeguards.

Industry Context

This legal move follows similar actions taken by other major entertainment companies, alleging that AI image generators function as a "virtual vending machine" that creates unlimited unauthorized copies of protected works. Midjourney has not provided a comment in response to the filing.

Usado: News Factory APP - descubrimiento de noticias y automatización - ChatGPT para Empresas