Disney and Universal sue AI image company Midjourney for unlicensed use of 'Star Wars,' 'The Simpsons' and more Disney and Universal joined forces in a lawsuit against artificial intelligence image ...

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims the AI company Midjourney generates images that “blatantly incorporate and copy” the movie studios’ famous characters.

"Piracy is piracy," says Disney's chief legal officer, as the studios aim to show that tools allowing personalized AI slop creations of characters like Darth Vader or Shrek run afoul of their IP.

The 100-plus-page lawsuit details the ways Midjourney enables its users to recreate characters that belong to Disney's and Universal's different worlds, such as Marvel and Star Wars.

Midjourney and other AI firms were sued in a separate copyright infringement case by a group of visual artists in 2023, which the companies have sought to dismiss but which is currently in discovery.

San Francisco-based Midjourney says on its website, “We are a small self-funded team focused on design, human infrastructure, and AI. We have 11 full-time staff and an incredible set of advisors.” ...

U.S. District Judge William Orrick on Monday found that copyright infringement claims cannot move forward against Midjourney and DeviantArt, concluding the accusations are “defective in numerous ...

Disney and NBCU filed suit against Midjourney, a generative AI start-up, alleging copyright infringement. Continue to Variety SKIP AD You will be redirected back to your article in seconds ...

Midjourney users can create AI images of protected characters like Shrek, Yoda and Marvel superheroes, ... alleging that the company committed copyright infringement.

Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement by: SHAWN CHEN and MATT O'BRIEN, Associated Press. Posted: Jun 11, 2025 / 04:24 PM CDT.