NextFin news, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit on Thursday in Los Angeles against AI startup Midjourney, alleging that the company infringed on its copyrights by generating and distributing unauthorized images and videos of its copyrighted characters through AI image and video generation tools.
The lawsuit claims Midjourney "brazenly dispenses" countless unauthorized derivative images of Warner Bros. characters including Superman, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, Wonder Woman, Tweety, the Powerpuff Girls, and Rick and Morty. These images were reportedly created in response to user prompts requesting depictions of these characters in various scenarios.
Warner Bros. Discovery asserts that Midjourney reproduced, displayed, and distributed these copyrighted characters without permission, violating intellectual property rights. The complaint includes examples of AI-generated images closely resembling the studio's protected characters.
The legal action highlights ongoing tensions between traditional media companies and AI technology firms over copyright protections in the digital age. Warner Bros. Discovery is seeking remedies for the alleged infringement, though specific damages or injunction requests were not detailed in the publicly available complaint.
The lawsuit was reported by The Hollywood Reporter and further detailed by The Verge and IMDb on Thursday, September 4, 2025, reflecting the growing scrutiny of AI-generated content and its impact on established intellectual property rights.
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