With AI being more widely adopted and used more actively by companies and users, the boundary between human creativity and artificially generated content seems to be blurring. This has not only invited concerns but has also paved the way for a new set of legal pursuits. With these issues becoming more common, a recent lawsuit filed by Warner Bros. has come to light, where the AI image-generation startup Midjourney has been sued for infringing copyright by enabling users to create images of some of its iconic characters.
Warner Bros. sues Midjourney over AI-generated images of iconic characters
Warner Bros. Discovery has taken legal action against Midjourney and accused the platform of engaging in large-scale copyright infringement. According to the lawsuit, the platform has been generating images and videos of characters that have defined pop culture for decades. The case explicitly mentions Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Scooby-Doo, and Bugs Bunny, which go beyond just being fictional characters and serve as some of the entertainment company's core assets.
The lawsuit was filed in a Los Angeles federal court on September 5, 2025, as per a TechCrunch report, and claims that Midjourney intentionally and knowingly allowed the content to be produced and earned profits by using the intellectual property of Warner Bros. The studio goes on to state that the AI image startup initially had safeguards in place to prevent such unauthorized use of its services, but recently removed them in what is being defined as a well-thought-out and calculated decision.
In the court documents, the AI-generated images and the original ones are compared side by side, and they appear strikingly similar. As a result, the studio is now seeking damages of up to $150,000 for the infringement and an injunction to prevent such future violations. This is not the first legal pursuit against Midjourney, as other major studios like Universal and Disney have also alleged that the company engaged in similar practices and used unauthorized depictions of their characters.
Midjourney, in its defense, argues that it engaged in the practice under the principle of transformative fair use, where the images were not directly copied but rather its technology was used to learn visual ideas from billions of images and then create something based on the knowledge gained. The company further suggested it is a similar process to how humans draw inspiration and learn. The AI startup also went on to shift the blame to users by asserting that the responsibility lies with them to not engage in such practices, especially when the terms of service strictly forbid content being created this way.
Nonetheless, the outcome of the case would shape future cases as well and would have a ripple effect in terms of accountability in the digital age as authorities attempt to define ownership and originality in these changing times.
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