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Midjourney

Midjourney adds AI video generation

by admin June 19, 2025

AI company Midjourney has released its first video model. This initial take on AI-generated video will allow users to animate their images, either ones made in Midjourney or uploaded from a different source. The initial results will be five-second clips that a user can opt to extend by four seconds up to four times. Videos can be generated on web only for now and require at least a $10 a month subscription to access.

Introducing our V1 Video Model. It’s fun, easy, and beautiful. Available at 10$/month, it’s the first video model for *everyone* and it’s available now. pic.twitter.com/iBm0KAN8uy

— Midjourney (@midjourney) June 18, 2025

Midjourney was one of the early names in the space for AI-generated still images, even as other platforms have pushed the forefront of the discussions around artificial intelligence development. Google’s latest I/O conference included several new tools for AI generated video, such as the text-to-video Veo 3 model and a tool for filmmakers called Flow. OpenAI’s Sora, which debuted last year, is also a text-to-video option, while the more recent Firefly Video Model from Adobe can create video from a text or image prompt.

But being a little late to the video game hasn’t stopped it from drawing the ire of creatives who allege that its models were trained illegally. In fact, this video announcement follows hot on the heels of a lawsuit against the company. Disney and NBCUniversal sued Midjourney last week on claims of copyright infringement. And as with any AI tool, there’s always a potential for misuse. But Midjourney has nicely asked that people “please use these technologies responsibly” so surely nothing will go wrong.

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June 19, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Disney, Universal Sue Midjourney Over AI Images, Calling It ‘a Bottomless Pit of Plagiarism’

by admin June 12, 2025

Disney, Universal and several of their entertainment companies filed a lawsuit against popular AI creative service Midjourney on Wednesday, alleging that the company committed copyright infringement. It’s a big move from power players and will no doubt create ripple effects across the AI and entertainment industries that’ll flow all the way to what you can create using AI tools.

Midjourney is one of many AI image generators that use generative AI text-to-image technology. With an account, anyone can use its models to create digital images. Many AI image generators have policies and internal guardrails that prevent people from being able to re-create brand logos, celebrity likenesses and other kinds of recognizable and sometimes copyrighted material. Disney and Universal are alleging that Midjourney didn’t take these precautions, even after they reached out to express their concerns.

The companies wrote in the lawsuit that Midjourney’s AI image- and upcoming video-generation technologies “blatantly incorporate and copy Disney’s and Universal’s famous characters” without proper licensing or having a hand in their original creation. “Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism,” the lawsuit alleges.

The 100-plus-page lawsuit details the ways Midjourney enables its users to re-create characters that belong to Disney’s and Universal’s different worlds, like Marvel and Star Wars. It includes examples of images the companies were able to generate that feature some of their iconic characters, including those from Shrek, Star Wars and DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon.

Midjourney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Disney included these images in its complaint as examples of AI images made with Midjourney that mimic copyrighted characters.

Screenshot by Katelyn Chedraoui/CNET

Copyright is one of the core legal and ethical issues in AI, and this is far from the first major lawsuit between entertainment companies and AI companies. There’s an ongoing class-action lawsuit from a collection of artists, led by Karla Ortiz, against Stability AI. Publishers like The New York Times are also concerned, suing ChatGPT maker OpenAI.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

At the same time, some entertainment companies are slowly exploring ways to integrate AI into their creative workflows. Disney has been fairly mum about AI, not endorsing or making partnerships like its peers at Lionsgate but not publicly ruling out the possibility either. That possibility is reflected in the statement Disney made to CNET via email.

“We are bullish on the promise of AI technology and optimistic about how it can be used responsibly as a tool to further human creativity,” Horacio Gutierrez, senior executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer, said in the statement. “But piracy is piracy, and the fact that it’s done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing.”

Another example Disney cites in its lawsuit.

Screenshot by Katelyn Chedraoui/CNET

Read more: Inside Hollywood’s AI Power Struggle: Where Does Human Creativity Go From Here?

Today’s lawsuit marks a path forward for Disney and Universal and adds another strand to an already tangled legal web.

“The lawsuit filed by Disney and Universal is important in drawing a line in the sand with AI developers like Midjourney,” Robert Rosenberg, an intellectual-property lawyer and former general counsel at Showtime Networks, said in an email. “As the lawsuit explains, the only way the AI platforms can output an image of Yoda, Shrek or Darth Vader is because they have trained their model by ingesting copyrighted images of these characters. They are not inventing new characters here.”

For now, we’ll have to wait and see how this case and the other court cases progress. In the meantime, Midjourney users and other AI users are able to continue utilizing those services.

For more, check out our guide to understanding copyright in the age of AI.

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June 12, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Disney, Universal, DreamWorks Sue Midjourney, Call It a ‘Bottomless Pit of Plagiarism’

by admin June 12, 2025

In brief

Disney and Universal are among a group of studios that filed a lawsuit against AI firm Midjourney.
The studios claim the image generator produces unauthorized copies of copyrighted characters.
The case highlights a growing wave of copyright suits targeting generative AI tools.

Disney and Universal, along with several other American film studios, have filed a lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Midjourney, alleging that its popular image generation tool systematically violates copyright by creating unauthorized reproductions of famous characters.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a U.S. federal court, accuses Midjourney of functioning as a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.”

“By helping itself to Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works, and then distributing images (and soon videos) that blatantly incorporate and copy Disney’s and Universal’s famous characters—without investing a penny in their creation—Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider,” the complaint reads. “Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing.”

The studios, which also include DreamWorks and the Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, cited examples of Midjourney-generated outputs that included likenesses of Yoda, Marvel superheroes, characters from Aladdin, Minions, The Simpsons, and Shrek.

They are seeking damages and an injunction to stop the platform from reproducing, displaying, or distributing their copyrighted content. Decrypt has approached Midjourney for comment on the suit.

The case is part of a mounting wave of lawsuits confronting AI companies over copyright violations.

As generative AI tools become more widespread, legal scrutiny over their training data and outputs has intensified. The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in December 2023, and Reddit is currently pursuing legal action against Anthropic. Other plaintiffs include music publishers and media companies such as Ziff Davis.

The core legal question in these suits is whether AI companies can lawfully use copyrighted works without permission during training or generation.

Companies like OpenAI have acknowledged using copyrighted content in training and argued it would be “impossible” to develop AI systems without it.

Filtering out the issue

While some firms have sought licensing deals with copyright holders, others, like Midjourney, have faced criticism for inadequate safeguards.

In the complaint, the studios argue that Midjourney has the ability to filter prompts and outputs, just as it currently blocks certain violent or pornographic content. They claim the company could easily implement similar protections for copyrighted material, but has chosen not to.

Midjourney faced controversy in its early days for limiting image generation related to Chinese President Xi Jinping and for allowing the creation of images of other world leaders.

Meanwhile, the film industry is grappling with how AI will reshape creative labor. A report from the British Film Institute this week warned that AI poses a direct threat to screen sector jobs and revenue.

It cited research suggesting global audiovisual creators may lose up to 21% in revenue over three years and that more than 200,000 U.S. entertainment jobs could be disrupted by 2026, particularly entry-level positions.

Midjourney

In brief

Filtering out the issue

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