Artificial intelligence company Midjourney has asked a US court to require Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. to disclose more information about their use of artificial intelligence in an ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit.
The three Hollywood studios allege that Midjourney’s image-generation system unlawfully reproduces copyrighted characters, including Bart Simpson and Darth Vader. Midjourney argues that training its AI models on copyrighted material is protected under the fair use doctrine.
The latest dispute concerns the discovery process. A judge previously ordered the studios to provide information on their use of generative AI, but limited the requirement to consumer-facing material.
In a new court filing, Midjourney requested that the restriction be lifted, arguing that it could allow the studios to withhold information relevant to its defence while disclosing only material that supports their claims.
The company said the undisclosed documents could show whether the studios use image-generation AI internally for story development, creative planning or other aspects of film and television production.