ORLANDO, Fla. – Disney and Universal, fierce competitors in Central Florida, are finding common ground that could impact online content creation.
The entertainment giants are now collaborating to combat what they describe as “piracy” and “plagiarism.”
The companies are joining forces in a lawsuit against artificial intelligence company MidJourney, which often use copyrighted characters to create new images.
Both companies possess a vast collection of iconic copyrighted characters, from minions and dragons to Darth Vader and Mickey Mouse.
AI programs are using the characters to create new images. Disney and Universal allege that AI infringes on their rights by generating “endless unauthorized images.”
Kristen Roberts, the managing attorney and founder of Trestle Law, emphasizes the importance of this lawsuit.
“They’re the largest intellectual property holders in the world, the two of them,” Roberts said.
Roberts described the collaboration between Disney and Universal as groundbreaking.
“While they may not always agree with each other, and they may be rivals in their theme parks and movies, when it comes to this issue — intellectual property being used without authorization — they’re on the same team,” she said.
For years, AI companies have argued that their programs are protected under “fair use” because they sample from a collection of publicly available articles and images. However, there are few laws addressing the nuances of copyright infringement related to sampling.
“I don’t think these AI companies want to go through the process of licensing like we do with music. We could establish something similar, like a compulsory license, but we need Congress to act,” Roberts explained.
MidJourney has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Getty Images is pursuing another AI company in London for copyright infringement.
Both cases could significantly reshape the landscape of AI usage and copyright law.
[LAWSUIT: Read the Disney-Universal lawsuit below]
Disney AI Lawsuit by Daniel R. Dahm on Scribd