Midjourney has filed a motion asking the court to compel broad discovery into the internal AI practices of Disney, Universal (NBCUniversal) and Warner Bros. in their copyright infringement suit, aiming to strengthen its fair use defense by obtaining training data, model weights and internal documents.
June 29, 2026 · AI Copyright Litigation
Midjourney Turns the Tables: "Show Us YOUR AI Usage"
Sued for copyright infringement by Disney, Universal and Warner Bros., Midjourney files a motion demanding the studios disclose their own internal generative-AI tools — asking the court to overturn a ruling that shielded them from discovery.
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Studios suing Midjourney — Disney, Universal & Warner Bros.
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Iconic characters cited — Darth Vader, Elsa, Minions, Bart, Superman, Batman.
Aug 17
2026 hearing set to decide how far discovery reaches.
Case Timeline
Jun 11 2025
Disney & Universal sue Midjourney for copyright infringement.
Sep 2025
Warner Bros. files a similar suit; cases consolidated.
Jun 15 2026
Magistrate judge limits disclosure to consumer-facing AI uses.
Jun 29 2026
Midjourney files motion to overturn the order.
What Midjourney Wants Disclosed
Business plans
Research reports
Training datasets
Model weights
Board presentations
Internal AI policies
Storyboarding & ideation tools
Studios' own prompts & outputs
The Studios' Charge
Midjourney's models can generate copyrighted characters without authorization — a service branded a "bottomless pit of plagiarism."
Midjourney's Defense
Claims "fair use" and argues the studios' own AI practices establish "industry custom" — plus an "unclean hands" equitable defense.
Why it matters: Observers are split — a "they did it too" argument may not stand alone, and rights holders training AI on their own IP differs from Midjourney's conduct. The outcome could shape how far discovery reaches in generative-AI copyright litigation.
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