Midjourney Demands Hollywood Studios Disclose Internal AI Usage in Copyright Fight
Midjourney is trying to turn the studios' own AI practices into evidence that unauthorized training on copyrighted works is standard industry behavior, which could reshape the legal boundaries of fair use for generative AI.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Midjourney is demanding Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery reveal details of their own AI development and use, arguing that if the studios are training models internally, it would support Midjourney's fair-use defense. The company has appealed a magistrate judge's ruling that limited discovery to consumer-facing images and videos. A hearing is set for August 17, 2026.
Midjourney has filed a motion to force Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery to disclose details of their internal AI development, arguing that selective disclosure by the studios is unfair. The company points to Disney's contract with OpenAI's Sora and testimony that newer Midjourney versions can generate previously impossible character images as reasons the court should not limit discovery to consumer-facing outputs. The studios' attorneys call the demands a fishing expedition, saying they only seek to stop unauthorized copying of their films and TV shows, not AI technology itself. The dispute stems from a 2025 copyright lawsuit over Midjourney's ability to generate images of characters like Bart Simpson and Darth Vader. A hearing is scheduled for August 17, 2026.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.