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AI copyright

Warner Bros. sued Midjourney over AI images of Superman, Batman and other characters. Here’s what the case actually alleges

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Yes. Warner Bros. Entertainment, DC Comics, Turner Entertainment, Hanna-Barbera Productions and The Cartoon Network sued Midjourney in federal court on September 4, 2025. Their complaint alleges that Midjourney’s image and video tools generate, display and distribute unauthorized copies or derivative versions of characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo. The case remains unresolved: as of August 18, 2026, there was no merits judgment or established settlement.

The case began as 2:25-cv-08376 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and was later consolidated with a Disney-led action under case 2:25-cv-05275.

What Warner Bros. says Midjourney did

Warner’s complaint asserts direct and secondary copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501. These are allegations, not findings by the court.

Training and model development

Warner alleges that Midjourney used unauthorized copies of copyrighted works to develop its models. Whether copying during training is lawful could turn on fair use and other copyright doctrines; the filing does not establish that the alleged training occurred unlawfully.

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Generated images and video

The complaint says ordinary prompts can produce recognizable Warner characters and that Midjourney distributes those outputs to users. It also addresses the company’s ability to turn generated images into moving content, making the dispute about video as well as still pictures. The filing further argues that Midjourney could use technical measures to limit famous-character generations but did not adequately do so.

Platform conduct and the Explore gallery

Warner points to Midjourney’s product design, including its public Explore functionality, as increasing the display and circulation of allegedly infringing material. Its theory is broader than responsibility for an isolated user prompt: it focuses on the service’s capabilities, distribution mechanisms, knowledge and commercial benefit.

Which characters appear in the case?

The complaint and its exhibits identify or illustrate a representative group of Warner-related properties. Examples include:

  • Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Joker and The Flash
  • Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Tweety
  • Tom and Jerry and Scooby-Doo
  • The Powerpuff Girls and Rick and Morty

That list should not be read as a ruling that every Warner-owned character is individually at issue. Some are expressly named, while others appear in illustrative exhibits to the complaint.

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Why training and outputs are separate legal questions

“AI copyright” is not one claim. The litigation may require the court to analyze several distinct acts.

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Model training

The court could examine whether copyrighted works were copied into a training process, whether any copying was transformative, and whether it qualifies as fair use or another lawful use.

Generated expression

A separate issue is whether a particular output reproduces protected character expression or creates an unauthorized derivative work. The analysis concerns the output itself, not simply the data used to build a model.

Distribution, display and secondary liability

Warner also alleges that Midjourney’s service distributes or publicly displays outputs and materially contributes to infringement. Possible questions include what the company knew, what control it exercised, and whether it financially benefited from particular uses.

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Other rights

Character names, logos and symbols can raise trademark questions, while publicity, licensing and contract issues may also matter. The Warner action described here is a copyright case; it should not be treated as a ruling on every possible rights claim.

What Midjourney has done and argued

Midjourney filed an answer to Warner’s complaint on October 7, 2025, according to the case docket. The publicly summarized materials do not reproduce the answer in full, so detailed affirmative defenses should not be inferred from news reports.

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One documented defense theme is that training AI models on copyrighted material can be protected by fair use. Midjourney has also sought discovery about how Disney, Universal and Warner use generative AI themselves. In July 2026, it argued that limiting discovery to consumer-facing studio content could prevent it from obtaining evidence relevant to its defenses and to the studios’ claims of market harm. A judge had required production concerning consumer-facing AI images and videos while Midjourney challenged that limitation, as reported by TechCrunch.

How the Warner case fits the Hollywood litigation

Warner was not the first major studio group to sue Midjourney in 2025. Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Universal, DreamWorks and other plaintiffs filed an earlier action on June 11, 2025, alleging that Midjourney could generate characters such as Darth Vader and Shrek-related properties. The earlier case is listed at 2:25-cv-05275.

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Warner filed separately in September. On November 4, 2025, the court consolidated the actions for all purposes, including trial, with the Disney-led matter designated as the lead case. The consolidated docket is now the key procedural record.

Procedural timeline

Date Event
June 11, 2025 Disney-led copyright complaint filed.
September 4, 2025 Warner Bros. entities file their Midjourney complaint in the Central District of California.
September 16, 2025 Midjourney served, according to the Warner docket.
October 7, 2025 Midjourney files its answer.
November 4, 2025 Warner action consolidated with the Disney-led case.
May–July 2026 Discovery disputes continue, including disputes over evidence of the studios’ own AI use.
August 18, 2026 No merits judgment or final settlement had been established in the cited record.

What Warner is asking for

The complaint seeks monetary and equitable remedies, including damages, statutory damages where available, disgorgement or other monetary relief, injunctive restrictions, costs and attorneys’ fees. Ars Technica reported that Warner seeks the maximum statutory figure of $150,000 per infringed work where applicable. That is a requested legal remedy, not a penalty imposed on Midjourney or a prediction of the award. See the Ars Technica report and the complaint.

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What the lawsuit means for Midjourney users

A subscription is not a character license

Midjourney’s commercial-use guidance says users may use images and videos they create subject to its terms, but those terms do not transfer Warner’s rights in Superman, Batman or other third-party properties. Midjourney also says users are responsible for their use and that it cannot provide copyright advice. See its commercial-use guidance and Terms of Service.

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Commercial projects carry greater exposure

Making a private experiment, posting fan art, selling merchandise and marketing a film are not automatically treated the same way. Fair use, parody, commentary, commercial purpose and the amount of protected expression used can change the analysis. “Private” does not guarantee legality, and commercial use is not automatically infringing.

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Privacy is different from rights clearance

Midjourney describes the service as open by default, with creations potentially appearing on Explore. Stealth Mode is available on Pro and Mega plans under its plan comparison. Keeping a concept out of a public gallery may help confidentiality, but it does not grant permission to use someone else’s characters.

Video raises additional practical questions

Because the complaint includes moving content, creators should not assume that a video derived from a generated still has a lower legal risk. A sequence can reproduce more character expression and story elements than one image, while also raising separate music, performance and distribution issues.

Anyone planning to monetize recognizable studio characters should obtain advice from a qualified lawyer about copyright, trademark, publicity, licensing and the applicable platform terms.

What could change if Warner succeeds—or if Midjourney prevails?

The outcome could influence how AI companies filter character prompts, document training sources, handle public galleries, design video tools and negotiate licenses. It could also affect how courts evaluate platform responsibility when users request recognizable copyrighted characters. Those are possible consequences, not predictions about this case.

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Current status

The Warner complaint is part of active, consolidated litigation. Midjourney has answered, discovery disputes were still being litigated in July 2026, and the cited record identifies no final merits ruling as of August 18, 2026. The central question remains what the evidence will show about training, generated outputs, distribution and the platform’s responsibility under copyright law.

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