Disney, Universal sue AI image company for unlicensed use of ‘Star Wars,’ ‘The Simpsons’ and more

Disney and Universal joined forces in a lawsuit against artificial intelligence image creator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement, according to court filings.

It is the first AI copyright lawsuit from Hollywood giants.

The lawsuit claims that the company used and distributed AI-generated characters from the movie studios like Star Wars, The Simpsons and other films and alleges that Midjourney disregarded requests to stop.

Disney and Universal are demanding a jury trial, arguing that the actions threaten to “upend the bedrock incentives of U.S. copyright law.”

“Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism,” the movie studios said, calling the actions “calculated and willful.”

CNBC has reached out to Midjourney for comment on the case.

The rise of AI has raised the stakes in the media industry, and sparked concerns over how to protect content from illegal copyrighting. This is one of the most significant copyright legal battles to date involving AI.

“Creativity is the cornerstone of our business,” said Kimberley Harris, executive vice president and general counsel of NBCUniversal, in a statement. “We are bringing this action today to protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content.”

The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court Central District of California.

Both companies said they sent letters to Midjourney’s counsel to prevent further copyright infringement, but the company continued to release new iterations of its image generator.

Midjourney told Disney it was reviewing the letter but never responded, according to the suit. Universal said Midjourney did not respond to its letter.

“We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity,” said Horacio Gutierrez, senior executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer of The Walt Disney Company, in a statement. “But piracy is piracy, and the fact that it’s done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing.”