Overview

• Disney and Universal filed a joint lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles in June 2025 accusing Midjourney of training its image-generation model on their characters without permission
• The 110-page complaint cites dozens of AI-generated images closely mirroring characters such as Elsa, Darth Vader, the Minions, Spiderman, Hulk, Shrek and Yoda
• Founded in 2022 by David Holz, Midjourney earned $300 million in subscription revenue in 2023 as demand for its generative image service surged
• The studios are seeking monetary damages and a preliminary injunction to halt further unauthorized reproduction of their copyrighted works
• Legal experts say the outcome could redefine how fair use applies to AI training data but note the case faces complex U.S. copyright law challenges