source: techcrunch ai: midjourney wants hollywood studios to reveal the details of their ai usage
level: business
midjourney is pushing hollywood studios to share details about their own ai use in an ongoing copyright case. disney, universal, and warner bros. sued the startup last year, claiming its image models create unauthorized copies of characters like bart simpson and darth vader. midjourney argues training on such images is fair use. a judge previously limited discovery to consumer-facing ai outputs, but midjourney now wants that restriction removed.
the startup claims the studios are hiding documents that could show they use ai similarly behind closed doors. midjourney says if studios train image generators on unlicensed content for internal tasks like storyboarding, it would support its defense that such practices are industry custom. the filing also demands all prompts and outputs from midjourney, not just those producing allegedly infringing images. the studios' attorney called this a fishing expedition and said they only want to stop unauthorized copying of their characters.
the dispute centers on what evidence the studios must provide during discovery. midjourney argues the current limit lets studios cherry-pick documents to support their harm claims while blocking evidence helpful to midjourney's case. the outcome could influence how courts handle discovery in ai copyright lawsuits, potentially setting precedents for what internal ai practices companies must reveal when they sue ai developers.
why it matters: this case could force companies to disclose internal ai training data and practices when they sue ai developers, affecting future copyright litigation and transparency in the ai industry.
source: techcrunch ai: midjourney wants hollywood studios to reveal the details of their ai usage