Warner Bros sues Midjourney, claiming it stole Superman’s image
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In the suit, Warner Bros included pictures it said were generated by Midjourney’s technology.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SAN FRANCISCO – Warner Bros Discovery sued AI startup Midjourney alleging theft of its intellectual property, saying the company allowed customers to generate images and videos of characters like Wonder Woman and Superman without permission.
Midjourney, based in San Francisco, offers a subscription service that lets customers create images and clips using artificial intelligence.
In the suit, Warner Bros included pictures it said were generated by Midjourney’s technology. They include Superman looking at his cell phone and Batman posing with the Star Wars character R2-D2.
Warner Bros said Midjourney is not authorised to use or sell reproductions of its characters. Users have posted the images on social media sites like Reddit, Discord and Instagram. Warner Bros said the company also uses the images to promote its service to customers.
It’s asking for damages of up to US$150,000 (S$193,000) per infringement.
“Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners even though Midjourney knows about the breathtaking scope of its piracy and copyright infringement,” Warner Bros said in the complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court.
Midjourney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The suit is similar to one Walt Disney and Comcast Universal division filed against Midjourney in June.
Like its competitors ChatGPT and Stability AI, Midjourney built its AI models with datasets that pull imagery from across the internet. While the companies argue that the practice is legal under the fair use doctrine of US copyright law, it has stoked outrage and lawsuits from a wide range of creative businesses. BLOOMBERG
