Warner Bros. Discovery sues AI firm for Batman, Superman copyright infringement

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Warner Bros. Discovery is involved in a significant lawsuit concerning copyright infringement, which may establish the legal limits for generating digital counterparts of famous characters utilizing artificial intelligence technology.

On Thursday, a copyright infringement lawsuit was filed in the federal court of Los Angeles against AI company Midjourney Inc. The suit claims that their image generator creates flagrant imitations of Warner Bros’ iconic and copyrighted characters such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Scooby-Doo.

In collaboration with the suit, Warner Bros. Discovery has entered a legal dispute initiated in June by both Walt Disney Co. and Comcast’s Universal Pictures. This lawsuit, instigated by Disney and Universal, signaled the beginning of a high-stakes legal battle among major studios concerning AI-enabled intellectual property rights, which they have labeled as content theft.

Including Warner Bros. Discovery in their ranks might strengthen Disney’s and Universal’s position. These three media giants have a significant hold on some of the most prized intellectual properties in Hollywood.

Disney’s collection encompasses Star Wars, Woody from the Cowboy series, Winnie the Pooh, The Simpsons characters, and the Disney royal family. On the other hand, Universal features characters like the Hulk, Shrek, and Minions in their roster.

Warner Bros. controls characters from DC Comics , Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera .

The entities represented by the company include Warner Bros., DC Comics, Turner Entertainment Company, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and Cartoon Network. The company has filed a lawsuit and requested a trial by jury. They are seeking both monetary compensation (yet to be specified) and an injunction as remedy.

Hollywood Inc.

The legal action, submitted at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that the AI firm, Midjourney, has been creating pictures that overtly use and duplicate the well-known characters from the movie studios.

The four-year-old San Francisco company Midjourney, with millions of paying customers, is accused of basing its success on the years of laborious effort of numerous Hollywood artists, writers, and studios spanning over several decades.

In simpler terms, Midjourney is a self-governing research institution that delves into innovative methods of thinking and enhances humanity’s creative abilities. Through their subscription service, they provide access to an image generator capable of producing high-definition digital portrayals, even featuring popular characters such as Batman.

The companies Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, and Universal claim that Midjourney trained its AI programs using their copyrighted materials, leading to creations very similar to their original cartoons. In Warner Bros.’ lawsuit, they presented side-by-side comparisons of their characters and Midjourney’s versions to highlight the exact details, like Scooby-Doo’s collar and fur color, that mirror the originals.

Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Essentially, our main focus is creating engaging narratives and memorable characters for our viewers, translating the ideas and enthusiasm of our collaborators. However, it’s come to our attention that Midjourney is intentionally violating copyrighted materials. To safeguard our content, our partners, and our investments, we’ve initiated legal action.

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Warner Bros. Discovery emphasized the worth of their franchise titles, such as their DC Comics movie series. Movies belonging to the DC Extended Universe, released between 2018 and 2023, accumulated over $7 billion at worldwide box offices. Each film on average grossed approximately $479 million, according to the court filing.

In its legal claim, the company stated that, according to American Copyright law, it is exclusively authorized to create businesses involving the replication, creation of derivative works, distribution, public exhibition, and performance of visuals and videos that feature its copyrighted characters.

The unique privileges and safeguards enable companies like Warner Bros. Discovery, along with others in the industry, to invest significantly in content production, as stated in the lawsuit. In essence, this forms the foundation of the United States Copyright Act, which is summarized as: “This is the core principle upon which the U.S. Copyright Act operates.

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In more contemporary times, artists and scriptwriters from Hollywood have expressed serious apprehensions regarding the swift advancement of AI capable of generating content. This tech could potentially transform the movie business, resulting in reduced job opportunities.

The limitations imposed on the use of generative AI emerged as a key issue during the significant industrial actions taken by actors and writers in 2023.

Hollywood Inc.

Google is financing brief movies that steer clear of AI apocalypse narratives, instead focusing on exploring the advantages of this technology.

Disney and Universal applauded Warner Bros. for joining their legal battle.

Disney stands firm on safeguarding its creative minds and inventors, and we’re glad to have Warner Bros. Discovery as our ally in combating the brazen copyright violation by Midjourney,” was stated by Disney.

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2025-09-05 02:01