Warner Bros Discovery Sues Midjourney Over Copyright Infringement of Superman, Scooby-Doo, and Other Characters.

Warner Bros Discovery sued AI photo generator Midjourney for allegedly stealing its copyrighted characters, including Superman, Scooby-Doo, and Batman, to train its image and video service. The complaint seeks unspecified damages, disgorgement of profits, and a halt to further infringements. This follows a similar lawsuit filed by Disney and Comcast's Universal against Midjourney over characters including Darth Vader and Ariel from "The Little Mermaid."

Warner Bros. Discovery has joined the legal battle against AI photo generator Midjourney, alleging that the company has been using its copyrighted characters, including Superman, Scooby-Doo, and Batman, to train its image and video service. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles federal court, seeks unspecified damages, disgorgement of profits, and a halt to further infringements [1].

The lawsuit follows a similar action filed by Walt Disney Co. and Comcast's Universal Pictures against Midjourney in June over characters including Darth Vader and Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" [2]. Warner Bros. Discovery is the latest major studio to join the legal struggle over AI-enabled intellectual property, calling it content theft.

Warner Bros. Discovery claims that Midjourney's AI models were trained using its copyrighted works, leading to the creation of high-quality images and videos of its characters. The company has provided side-by-side renderings of its characters and Midjourney's reproductions to illustrate the similarities, such as the color of Scooby-Doo's collar and fur [1].

Midjourney, founded in 2022, has nearly 21 million users as of September 2024 and an estimated $300 million of revenue in 2024, according to Warner Bros.' complaint [3]. The company offers a subscription service that allows customers to create images and clips using artificial intelligence.

The lawsuit highlights the growing tension between major studios and AI companies over the use of copyrighted materials. Hollywood performers and writers have expressed concerns about the rapid development of generative AI, which they believe could lead to fewer jobs in the industry [3].

Warner Bros. Discovery's operations include Warner Bros. Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, and The Cartoon Network. The company's DC Comics movies, part of the DC Extended Universe, generated more than $7 billion in global ticket sales from 2018 through 2023, with an average of $479 million per film [1].

References:

[1] https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-09-04/batman-superman-studio-warner-bros-sues-ai-company-midjourney
[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-09-04/warner-bros-sues-ai-startup-claiming-it-stole-superman-s-image
[3] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/warner-bros-discovery-sues-ai-201828630.html