Midjourney demands Hollywood studios disclose internal AI usage
Original: Midjourney wants Hollywood studios to reveal the details of their AI usage
Why This Matters
The case could set a legal precedent for how fair use applies to AI model training on copyrighted content in Hollywood.
Midjourney has filed a legal motion seeking to compel Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. to disclose their internal generative AI usage during discovery, arguing the studios may be doing behind closed doors what they are suing Midjourney for doing publicly.
In an ongoing copyright lawsuit, AI image-generation startup Midjourney has filed a motion to expand the scope of discovery against Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Disney and Universal sued Midjourney in 2025, alleging its models generate infringing images of copyrighted characters such as Bart Simpson and Darth Vader. Warner Bros. followed with a separate suit shortly after. Midjourney contends its training practices fall under fair use.
A judge previously ruled the studios must only produce documents related to generative AI used in 'consumer-facing' content. Midjourney's latest filing argues this limitation is 'unfair,' allowing studios to 'cherry-pick' documents supporting market harm claims while withholding evidence that could support Midjourney's defense. The startup specifically claims that if studios are internally using AI trained on unlicensed content—for storyboarding or ideation—that would demonstrate such practices are 'industry custom, even among the studios themselves.' Midjourney also requests all prompts entered into its platform by the studios, not only those tied to allegedly infringing outputs. The studios' lead attorney David Singer characterized the request as a 'fishing expedition,' and stated the studios do not seek to shut down Midjourney but want it to stop unauthorized use of their copyrighted characters.