Hollywood’s war against AI-generated content is ramping up as a third studio joins Disney‘s legal battle. Earlier this year, Disney and Universal jointly filed a lawsuit against Midjourney, one of the most popular AI image-generation platforms, alleging mᴀssive copyright infringement as users can generate realistic images and videos closely resembling copyrighted characters — such as Mickey Mouse — without studio permission.

The studios argue that Midjourney has built its business by utilizing copyrighted material to train its AI. However, the situation escalated after Midjourney launched a new video-generation feature and a 24/7 streaming channel, raising concerns about direct compeтιтion with “traditional” entertainment content. Now, the legal battle is expanding as another major studio officially joins the fight.

Per Variety, Warner Bros. Discovery has also filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney, becoming the third studio to do so. The complaint, filed Thursday, claims Midjourney willfully creates and distributes images and videos utilizing iconic IP, such as Superman, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Tom and Jerry. The studio is seeking statutory damages and an injunction to prevent infringement. The lawsuit states:

Midjourney thinks it is above the law. Without any consent or authorization by Warner Bros. Discovery, Midjourney brazenly dispenses Warner Bros. Discovery’s intellectual property as if it were its own.

Warner Bros. previously declined to join Disney and Universal’s June suit, but shifted their stance after Midjourney unveiled its video-generation tools and streaming channel. Warner Bros.’ legal team — the same lawyers representing Disney and Universal — argues Midjourney made a “calculated and profit-driven” decision to remove guardrails that prevented users from creating infringing video content, despite the ongoing proceedings.

What Warner Bros.’ Lawsuit Means For The AI Legal Battle

With Warner Bros. now on board, three of Hollywood’s biggest players — Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. — are now pursuing nearly identical lawsuits against Midjourney. The entertainment industry is presenting a united front against what it sees as unchecked exploitation of its intellectual property, signaling a broader effort to set legal boundaries for AI platforms before they grow too powerful.

The complaint also suggests that studios are increasingly alarmed by Midjourney’s expansion into video generation and streaming, as these are areas where the lines between parody, fan art, and piracy become dangerously blurred. Consequently, the more that Midjourney behaves like a content studio, the more legal pressure the company is likely to face.

Our Take On Warner Bros. Lawsuit Against Midjourney

Warner Bros. joining this legal battle marks a critical shift in the industry. The fact that the company initially held back but is now suing suggests that Midjourney’s rapid evolution has triggered real industry concern about the possibility of full-scale entertainment content being artificially generated without any official licensing, oversight, or compensation.

Warner Bros. has decades of iconic IP, and the company evidently doesn’t like the idea that users can prompt an AI to instantly create new cartoons, trailers, or fake episodes using their characters. Whether Midjourney’s “fair use” defense holds up remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: the legal fight between Hollywood and AI creators is growing fast.