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Warner Bros Discovery has filed a lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, accusing the company of pirating its copyrighted works to train artificial intelligence models. The studio said characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny, and Scooby-Doo were used without authorization to produce high-quality, downloadable images.
The complaint, filed Thursday in Los Angeles federal court, claims Midjourney “brazenly stole” Warner Bros’ content, allowing it to offer subscribers images of its characters in “every imaginable scene.” Warner Bros argued that this conduct directly boosted Midjourney’s business by attracting users and revenue.
The filing noted that Midjourney previously blocked video generation from infringing content but lifted those restrictions last month. Warner Bros said the company promoted the change as an “improvement,” showing it knew its actions harmed copyright holders.
“Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners even though it knows about the breathtaking scope of its infringement,” the complaint said. Warner Bros is seeking damages, profits obtained by Midjourney, and an injunction to prevent further violations.
The case follows a similar lawsuit filed in June by Walt Disney and Comcast’s Universal, which accused Midjourney of using characters such as Darth Vader, Bart Simpson, Shrek, and Ariel from “The Little Mermaid.”
Founded in 2022 by David Holz, San Francisco-based Midjourney has grown rapidly, with nearly 21 million users as of September 2024 and an estimated $300 million in revenue last year. Midjourney and its attorneys have not yet commented on the Warner Bros lawsuit.
In earlier filings tied to the Disney and Universal case, Midjourney argued that copyright law “does not confer absolute control” over creative works. The company said using copyrighted material to train generative AI systems qualified as fair use, which it claimed promotes the free flow of ideas and information.
The lawsuit reflects growing tension between creative industries and AI developers. Authors, media outlets, music labels, and other copyright holders have accused tech firms of exploiting their works without licenses to build AI models.
A spokesperson for Warner Bros Discovery said the company is committed to protecting its intellectual property and creative partners. “We filed this suit to protect our content, our partners, and our investments,” the spokesperson said.
Warner Bros Discovery operates several entertainment divisions, including Warner Bros Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, and The Cartoon Network.
The case is Warner Bros Entertainment Inc et al v Midjourney Inc, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. 25-08376.
