Los Angeles, September 4, 2025 — Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against AI image platform Midjourney in a Los Angeles federal court, accusing the San Francisco-based tech firm of copyright infringement. The complaint alleges Midjourney unlawfully used the studio’s copyrighted characters—orphaned from licensing constraints—to train its generative AI, enabling users to produce high-definition images of beloved figures like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny, and Scooby-Doo.
According to the suit, Midjourney even eliminated prior safeguards designed to prevent such misuse. The studio claims this rollback was made deliberately to enhance the output capabilities, effectively placing creative content at risk of mass, unauthorized exploitation. “Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners,” the court filing states. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, disgorgement of profits, and an injunction to halt further infringements.
This case follows similar legal actions from entertainment giants Disney and Universal, who earlier this year accused Midjourney of using characters like Darth Vader, Bart Simpson, Shrek, and Ariel from The Little Mermaid—without permission—for profit under the guise of technological “innovation.”
While Midjourney maintains that its practices fall within fair use and that copyright law does not grant absolute control over derivative AI-generated works, content creators are increasingly battling back. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. emphasized the importance of defending creative investment: “The heart of what we do is develop stories and characters to entertain our audiences… We filed this suit to protect our content, our partners, and our investments.”
As generative AI continues to push creative boundaries, the outcome of this legal challenge could signal a turning point in how intellectual property rights are upheld in the digital era.
