Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. File NEW Lawsuit, Claiming a Threat to 'The Entire American Motion Picture Industry'

Disney, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Discovery have sued a Chinese artificial intelligence image and video generator for copyright infringement, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

©Disney | Walt Disney Company Headquarters

This is the second lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement that Disney, Warner Bros., and Universal have joined together on, with the first being against Midjourney for its image-generating service.

The lawsuit was filed on September 16th in the California federal court and accuses MiniMax of building its business by pillaging the studios’ intellectual property (IP). The company’s service, Hailuo AI, allows users to generate content of iconic copyrighted characters.

Mickey and Steamboat Willie

Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. have characterized MiniMax’s alleged infringement as an existential threat. The lawsuit claims it’s “only a matter of time until Hailuo AI can generate unauthorized, infringing videos” that are “substantially longer, and even eventually the same duration as a movie or television program.”

Universal Orlando

AI companies have been training their technology on data and content from the internet for years without compensating creators, which has led to lawsuits from authors, record labels, news organizations, studios, and more. They contend that some AI tools “erode demand for their content.”

Motion Picture Association CEO Charles Rivkin said in a statement that AI companies will be “held accountable for infringing on the rights of American creators wherever they are located.” He added, “We remain concerned that copyright infringement, left unchecked, threatens the entire American motion picture industry.”

Rex

Hailuo AI is marketed by MiniMax as a “Hollywood studio in your pocket” and uses studios’ characters in promotional materials, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint also alleges that when prompted with Darth Vader, the service generates an image of the character with a MiniMax watermark. It can also generate videos of Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. characters such as Minions, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Superman, the lawsuit claims.

©Illumination

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages, including disgorgement of profits and a court order barring MiniMax from continuing to exploit studios’ works.

We’ll continue to keep an eye on this lawsuit in addition to the Midjourney lawsuit Disney has filed. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog for the latest Disney news.

NEW Documents in Midjourney Lawsuit Say Disney Wants To “Have It Both Ways”

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