Midjourney Seeks Disclosure of Hollywood Studios' AI Usage
Midjourney, an AI startup, is seeking to compel Hollywood studios Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. to reveal their AI usage details in an ongoing copyright infringement dispute. The startup argues that the studios' use of AI is not limited to 'consumer-facing' content, and that disclosure is necessary for a fair trial.
Key points
- Midjourney is suing Hollywood studios Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. for alleged copyright infringement.
- The startup argues that training its AI models on copyrighted characters is permitted under fair use.
- A judge previously ruled that the studios would need to provide information about their generative AI usage, but only when it led to 'consumer-facing' videos and images.
- Midjourney seeks to overturn this limitation, arguing that it unfairly allows the studios to withhold relevant documents.
- The startup claims that the studios' AI usage is not limited to internal purposes, such as storyboarding or ideating content.
Midjourney, an AI startup, is embroiled in a copyright infringement dispute with Hollywood studios Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. The studios sued Midjourney last year, alleging that the startup's image-generation models could create images of characters owned by the studios.
The current dispute revolves around the documentation the studios will need to produce during the discovery process. A judge previously ruled that the studios would need to provide information about their generative AI usage, but only when it led to 'consumer-facing' videos and images. Midjourney is now seeking to overturn this limitation, arguing that it unfairly allows the studios to withhold relevant documents.
The startup claims that the studios' AI usage is not limited to internal purposes, such as storyboarding or ideating content. In its latest filing, Midjourney argues that the studios are 'cherry-picking' documents that support their market harm claims while depriving the startup of documents that would support its defenses.
The outcome of this dispute could have significant implications for the use of AI in the entertainment industry. If Midjourney is successful in its bid to compel the studios to disclose their AI usage, it could set a precedent for the use of AI in other industries as well.
Sources
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