Disney vs. Midjourney

Last updated: June 22, 2025

I came across some wild news this week: Disney and Universal are teaming up to sue Midjourney, the AI image generator that many of us creatives have been playing with. Apparently, they’re accusing the company of copying their characters – think Elsa, Darth Vader, the Minions – and spitting out unlicensed versions through AI-generated images and now even videos.

What’s really interesting is that this could be a major turning point for how copyright law handles generative AI. The lawsuit claims Midjourney trained on copyrighted content without permission and didn’t take any real steps to stop users from generating knockoffs of famous characters.

As someone who works closely with generative tools, I’m definitely keeping an eye on this. Whether you use Midjourney, ChatGPT, Krea, or any other model, this case could have big implications for how we all work with AI art going forward.

The YouTube channel LegalEagle also covered this topic as a lawyer:

Reference:

• The 110-page lawsuit document, CourtListener
• LegalEagle: Disney Files Landmark Case Against AI Image Generator
• Wired: Disney and Universal Sue AI Company Midjourney for Copyright Infringement
• Cartoonbrew: Disney, Universal Sue AI Generator Midjourney, Calling It “A Bottomless Pit Of Plagiarism’