Midjourney has asked a court to broaden discovery in the copyright lawsuits filed last year by Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Those studios allege that Midjourney’s models can produce outputs resembling copyrighted characters — the suits have pointed to examples such as Bart Simpson and Darth Vader — and that this amounts to copyright infringement. In the discovery phase, Midjourney is seeking to overturn a judge’s limitation and compel the studios to produce all internal AI-related documents, not only materials intended for consumers.
What Midjourney is asking for
Midjourney’s request covers several categories of evidence it considers relevant to the case:
- internal AI policies and usage documentation maintained by the studios,
- descriptions of tools and models the studios use internally,
- every prompt and every output the studios have ever run through Midjourney.
The company argues these materials are necessary to evaluate the studios’ conduct and the industry context of the claims.
Why this matters
The studios’ argument rests on the claim that training generative models on copyrighted characters and producing similar outputs constitutes theft. Midjourney counters that discovery could reveal how studios themselves use generative models internally, which may show whether unlicensed or commonplace practices are present across the industry. That evidence could shift the litigation from a primarily theoretical dispute about rights into a factual inquiry about who in the industry uses which materials and who benefits financially from such use.
Possible consequences
If a court grants Midjourney’s request, the disclosure could reveal the extent to which major studios rely on generative AI in their internal workflows and what source materials they employ. Such information could bolster or undermine claims on both sides: it might weaken the studios’ position if internal practices mirror the conduct they allege against Midjourney, or it could support the studios’ case if their internal use differs materially from the conduct challenged in the suits.
Summary
Midjourney seeks broad access to Disney’s, Universal’s and Warner Bros.’ internal AI documents and to any prompts and outputs those studios ran through Midjourney, arguing the materials are relevant to the claims in last year’s copyright suits. A court decision on this discovery dispute could force disclosure of how Hollywood companies use AI internally and reshape key factual issues in the litigation.
