Disney vs. Midjourney: The Copyright Clash

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The biggest name in entertainment just sued AI image generator Midjourney.

What’s the fight about?
Disney alleged that Midjourney trained on unauthorised copies of their copyrighted works

And distributing images depicting characters from Star Wars, Toy Story, and other franchises, even when users don’t request them directly.

They claim:
– Midjourney directly and secondarily infringed copyrights
– The company could’ve used tools to block copyrighted content, but didn’t
– They even sent cease-and-desist letters, but say Midjourney continued anyway

Why this matters:
The lawsuit hits at a central AI question: Can you train AI on copyrighted data without permission?

The legal answer is still unclear. Courts are just beginning to weigh in.

Could this end in collaboration?
History says it might.

Remember when YouTube was seen as a copyright violator by film studios and music labels?

Viacom sued. They settled.
Now, YouTube and studios are “strategic” allies.

Can Disney and Midjourney find a similar middle ground?

But the bigger question is – should AI companies license creative content for training, or is that against the open nature of innovation?

What do you think?

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Nikhilesh Tayal
Nikhilesh Tayal
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