Warner Bros. has taken legal action against the AI company Midjourney for using famous characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman without permission.
What Happened?
On September 4, 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against Midjourney, an AI image generator company.
The lawsuit claims that Midjourney is allowing its millions of users to create AI-generated images and videos of copyrighted characters, including:
- DC Comics heroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman
- Cartoon characters: Scooby-Doo, Bugs Bunny, The Powerpuff Girls
- Other Warner properties: Characters from Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network shows
Major Studios Unite Against AI
Warner Bros. is not fighting alone. The company has joined Disney and Universal Pictures, which filed a similar lawsuit against Midjourney in June 2025.
Together, these three entertainment giants control some of the world’s most valuable characters:
- Disney: Star Wars, Mickey Mouse, Disney Princesses, The Simpsons
- Universal: The Hulk, Shrek, Minions
- Warner Bros.: DC Comics, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera characters
How Midjourney Works and Why It’s Controversial
What Midjourney Does
Midjourney is a popular AI tool that lets people create high-quality images just by typing simple text commands. Users can ask for a “classic comic book superhero battle” and get detailed images of characters like Superman and Batman.
The Problem According to Studios
The lawsuit claims Midjourney:
- Trained its AI illegally using copyrighted movies, TV shows, and comics without permission
- Makes money from stolen content (subscription fees range from $10 to $120 per month)
- Creates identical copies – the lawsuit shows side-by-side comparisons proving the AI copies exact details like Scooby-Doo’s collar color
What Warner Bros. Says
“The heart of what we do is develop stories and characters to entertain our audiences,” Warner Bros. stated. “Midjourney is blatantly and purposefully infringing copyrighted works, and we filed this suit to protect our content, our partners, and our investments”.
The company argues that “Midjourney thinks it is above the law” and could easily prevent copyright violations but chooses not to.
Evidence of Intentional Wrongdoing
Warner Bros. claims Midjourney knows what it’s doing wrong because:
Suspicious Behavior: When Midjourney first released its video generation feature, it initially blocked users from creating videos with copyrighted characters. But then it removed these restrictions and promoted this as an “improvement”.
Selective Blocking: Midjourney blocks violent or inappropriate content but allows unlimited copying of copyrighted characters.
What This Means for the Future
Billion-Dollar Stakes
Warner Bros. pointed out that their DC Comics movies alone made over $7 billion in global ticket sales from 2018 to 2023. Each film averaged $479 million, showing the massive value of these characters.
Industry-Wide Impact
This lawsuit could set important rules for how AI companies can use creative content. Hollywood writers and actors are worried that AI technology will lead to fewer jobs in the entertainment industry.
Legal Precedent
The case will likely determine whether AI companies need permission before using copyrighted material to train their systems. This could affect how all AI companies operate in the future.
What Happens Next?
Warner Bros. is asking for:
- Money damages (amount not specified)
- All profits Midjourney made from using their characters
- Court order to stop further copyright violations
- Jury trial to decide the case
Disney praised Warner Bros. for joining the fight, saying they are “committed to protecting our creators and innovators” and are “pleased to be joined by Warner Bros. Discovery in the fight against Midjourney’s blatant copyright infringement”.
This lawsuit represents the biggest challenge yet to AI companies that use copyrighted content without permission. The outcome could reshape how artificial intelligence companies operate and whether they need to pay creators for using their work.
What do you think about AI companies using famous characters without permission? Should they have to pay the original creators?
