Overview

• Disney, Universal and DreamWorks filed the lawsuit on June 11 in federal court in Los Angeles, accusing Midjourney of training its AI on scraped films and promotional artwork without permission.
• The complaint cites dozens of examples, including images resembling Darth Vader, the Minions, Elsa and Shrek, that Midjourney allegedly generated without licensing the underlying IP.
• The studios are demanding statutory damages, a full accounting of Midjourney’s earnings from infringing content and a permanent injunction to bar further unauthorized reproductions.
• The Recording Industry Association of America has backed the suit, framing it as a stand for human creativity and responsible AI innovation.
• Legal experts say a ruling could set a precedent on the scope of fair use for training generative AI across creative industries.