AI and plagiarism: Disney and Universal file a complaint against Midjourney

What was to happen is happening. Now that Disney and Universal Hollywood studios have seized justice against Midjourney’s generative AI, the tool and the firm itself are very big. The accusation? Direct violation of Copyright, as well as reproduction and distribution of content with elements belonging to Disney and Universal. A small earthquake in the world of artificial intelligence.

Midjourney vs Disney and Universal: The Clone Wars

In the Document unveiled this Wednesday, June 11but in fact deposited in Los Angeles from November 6, 2025, the two complainants give examples of content generated by Midjourney. Simple prompts make it possible to draw inspiration from content protected by copyright on the Internet to create copies without limitation.

The studios accuse Midjourney of having hacked his bookstores in order to develop and distribute without authorization copies of known characters, ranging from those of Star Wars To Minions, including the many Disney films. When the studios asked Midjourney to stop this practice, which would have brought him $ 300 million in 2024, or at least establish protections to avoid plagiarism and respect copyright as its competitors, the firm behind one of the first generators of image by IA would have in the perfected place in place.

A first that could shake things up

It remains to be seen how this story will end. Even if the complaint was ended amicably, with a large check and a change of practice, this could encourage other complaints against other actors of the generative AI. In the complaint, the studios demand the end of this practice, as well as the return of the revenues generated, but also the payment of damages, which could according to them reach $ 150,000 per work.

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