Warner Bros. Discovery has filed a lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the company of massive copyright infringement. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the complaint alleges that the AI service generates "numerous unauthorized copies" of characters including Superman, Batman, Bugs Bunny, and Scooby-Doo.
The lawsuit alleges that Midjourney creates, displays, and distributes derivative works without the permission of the copyright holder. Warner Bros. Discovery cites generated images of Wonder Woman, Tweety, the Power Puff Girls, and Rick and Morty as examples.
The company even claims that AI can create such characters even without direct mention in the query: in particular, after the phrase "classic superhero battle," Midjourney generated images of Superman, Batman, and the Flash.
Warner Bros. Discovery says Midjourney is aware of the extent of the infringement but has failed to implement copyright enforcement mechanisms. The company is seeking damages and an injunction against further copying and distribution of its intellectual property, as well as a halt to the operation of AI tools without appropriate restrictions.
This is not the first such case: Midjourney has previously faced lawsuits from Disney and Universal, who also accused the company of creating "endless copies" of their works.