迪士尼联合环球影业起诉生成式AI企业Midjourney

Core Viewpoint - Disney and Universal Studios have filed a lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney for copyright infringement, marking a significant legal battle between Hollywood giants and generative AI companies [2][4]. Group 1: Lawsuit Details - The lawsuit is 110 pages long and accuses Midjourney of using a vast amount of film works to train its AI, allowing users to generate infringing images of iconic characters such as Darth Vader and Minions [4][6]. - Midjourney has generated infringing content from over 20 film IPs, including characters from "Toy Story," "Frozen," and "Shrek," by using prompts like "Disney style" and "Marvel style" [6][10]. - The characters listed in the lawsuit span over five decades, from 1977's Yoda to characters from 2023 releases [10]. Group 2: Midjourney's Business Performance - Midjourney, founded in 2021, reported a revenue surge to $300 million (approximately 2.2 billion RMB) last year, with a user base reaching tens of millions [10]. - The subscription service offers monthly fees ranging from $10 to $120, depending on the level of image generation speed [10]. Group 3: Industry Implications - The lawsuit is viewed as a milestone in the ongoing debate over generative AI and copyright infringement, with the film industry warning that AI infringements could disrupt the incentive mechanisms of U.S. copyright law [10]. - The U.S. film industry has a salary scale of $229 billion (approximately 1.66 trillion RMB) and supports 2.3 million jobs [10]. Group 4: Midjourney's Response and Industry Context - Midjourney has not yet responded to the lawsuit and claims to be an "independent research lab" with a team of fewer than 12 people [11]. - The Hollywood industry has had a conflicted stance on AI technology, having previously seen strikes over AI threats, while also utilizing AI in Oscar-nominated films for tasks like voice correction [13].