Warner Bros. Discovery has joined a key copyright infringement case that could test the legal bounds of using artificial intelligence to create digital replicas of well-known characters. <\/p>\n
The company on Thursday filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against AI company Midjourney Inc., alleging its image generator produces blatant rip-offs of Warner\u2019s well-known and copyright-protected characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Scooby-Doo. <\/p>\n
With the suit, Warner Bros. Discovery joins a legal fight brought in June by Walt Disney Co. and Comcast\u2019s Universal Pictures. The Disney and Universal lawsuit marked the first salvo by major studios to elevate the legal struggle over AI-enabled intellectual property<\/a>, calling it content theft.<\/p>\n The addition of Warner Bros. Discovery could boost Disney\u2019s and Universal\u2019s case. The three entertainment industry leaders control much of the most valuable intellectual property in Hollywood. <\/p>\n Disney\u2019s stable includes Star Wars, Woody the Cowboy, Winnie the Pooh, the Simpsons and Disney princesses. Universal boasts such beasts as the Hulk, Shrek and the Minions. <\/p>\n Warner Bros. controls characters from DC Comics , Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera . <\/p>\n It sued on behalf of Warner Bros. , DC Comics, Turner Entertainment Co., Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., and the Cartoon Network. The company, which asked for a jury trial, is seeking unspecified damages and an injunction.<\/p>\n The companies allege the four-year-old San Francisco firm Midjourney, which has millions of paid subscribers, built its business off decades of hard work by Hollywood artists, writers and studios. <\/p>\n Midjourney, on its website, describes itself as \u201can independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species.\u201d Midjourney offers its subscribers use of an image generator to create high-resolution digital depictions, including famous characters like Batman. <\/p>\n Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and Universal allege that Midjourney trained its generative AI programs by using their copyrighted works. They contend that Midjourney-enabled creations are almost identical to their original copyrighted cartoons. Warner Bros.\u2019 lawsuit included side-by-side renderings of its characters and Midjourney\u2019s reproductions to illustrate the identical details, such as the color of Scooby-Doo\u2019s collar and fur. <\/p>\n Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe heart of what we do is develop stories and characters to entertain our audiences, bringing to life the vision and passion of our creative partners,\u201d Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement. \u201cMidjourney is blatantly and purposefully infringing copyrighted works, and we filed this suit to protect our content, our partners, and our investments.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner Bros. Discovery pointed to the value of its franchises, including its DC Comics movies. Films featuring the DC Extended Universe, which were released from 2018 through 2023, generated more than $7 billion in global ticket sales. Each film earned an average of $479 million, the lawsuit said.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly Warner Bros. Discovery has the right under U.S. Copyright law to build a business around reproducing, preparing derivative works, distributing, publicly displaying, and performing images and videos featuring its copyrighted characters,\u201d the company said in its lawsuit. <\/p>\n Such exclusive rights and protections allow Warner Bros. Discovery and other studios to make massive investments in content, the lawsuit said, adding: \u201cThat is the cornerstone of the U.S. Copyright Act.\u201d<\/p>\n Hollywood performers and writers in recent years have voiced grave concerns about the rapid development<\/a> of generative AI. The technology is expected to revolutionize the film industry<\/a> and lead to fewer jobs. <\/p>\n Curbs on the use of generative AI<\/a> became a sticking point in the historic 2023 strikes<\/a> by actors and writers.<\/p>\n Disney and Universal applauded Warner Bros. for joining their legal battle.<\/p>\n \u201cDisney is committed to protecting our creators and innovators, and we\u2019re pleased to be joined by Warner Bros. Discovery in the fight against Midjourney\u2019s blatant copyright infringement,\u201d Disney said in a statement. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Warner Bros. 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