Technologies

Warner Bros., DC Comics and More Sue Midjourney, Says AI Firm ‘Thinks It Is Above the Law’

Midjourney faces very similar allegations in a lawsuit filed by Disney and Universal in June.

Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI image and video company Midjourney, making it the third major entertainment company to do so following Disney and Universal’s similar lawsuit filed earlier this year.

The lawsuit alleges the AI company violated the entertainment company’s copyright protections by allowing AI users to create images with characters like Batman, Scooby Doo and Bugs Bunny.

«Midjourney thinks it is above the law,» Warner Bros. Discovery said in the complaint. «Midjourney has made a calculated and profit-driven decision to offer zero protection for copyright owners even though Midjourney knows about the breathtaking scope of its piracy and copyright infringement.»

Midjourney is one of the most popular AI image generators, allowing anyone to create AI images and video clips with simple text prompts. The lawsuit covers Warner Bros. Entertainment and its subsidiaries, including DC Comics, The Cartoon Network and Hanna-Barbera Productions.

In the lawsuit, Warner Bros. Discovery notes that Midjourney recently dropped a video generation model as evidence that the AI firm knew it was infringing on copyrights. In the first few days of releasing the video model, the lawsuit alleges, Midjourney stopped users from animating scenes with characters. The restrictions were eventually lifted, but the entertainment giant calls this out as Midjourney’s knowledge of wrongdoing. Warner Bros. Discovery also alleges the AI company updated its terms of service to prohibit redteaming, a safety process tech companies use.

Copyright infringement claims aren’t new for Midjourney. In June, Disney and Universal sued the AI program, calling it «a bottomless pit of plagiarism» and «textbook copyright infringement» in its filing. Warner Bros. Discovery is represented by the same law firm that filed the suit on behalf of Disney and Universal.

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A Warner Bros. Discovery spokesperson told CNET, «The heart of what we do is develop stories and characters to entertain our audiences, bringing to life the vision and passion of our creative partners. Midjourney is blatantly and purposefully infringing copyrighted works, and we filed this suit to protect our content, our partners, and our investments.» Statements from Disney and NBCUniversal spokespeople expressed similar sentiments. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This lawsuit is further evidence that copyright is one of the most contentious legal issues in the age of AI. Concerns exist at every stage of AI content creation, including whether copyrighted materials are used to train AI models and whether those models can create content that meets the legal definition of infringement.

There are also ongoing cases between publishers, creators and AI companies. AI-makers Anthropic and Meta recently scored two victories, with courts claiming that training their models on authors’ books constituted fair use. But there are still a lot of questions and legal uncertainties.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

This is just step one for the lawsuit. Midjourney users shouldn’t expect any interruptions to service as a result of the legal battle.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, March 9

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 9.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Talk ___ (boastfully banter)
Answer: SMACK

6A clue: What has legs, but never walks?
Answer: TABLE

7A clue: French for «love»
Answer: AMOUR

8A clue: What has a mouth, but never talks?
Answer: RIVER

9A clue: Run-down in appearance
Answer: SEEDY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Milky Way bits
Answer: STARS

2D clue: ___ Eisenhower, 1950s first lady
Answer: MAMIE

3D clue: Overhead
Answer: ABOVE

4D clue: Given a crossword hint
Answer: CLUED

5D clue: Actress Washington of «Scandal»
Answer: KERRY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for March 9, #532

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for March 9, No. 532.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features a mix of topics. As a Minnesota Vikings fan, the green group came quickly to me. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Rocky Mountain High.

Green group hint: Upper Midwest division.

Blue group hint: Speed demons.

Purple group hint: Leading the team.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: A Colorado athlete.

Green group: NFC North cities.

Blue group: Types of racing.

Purple group: Coach ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is a Colorado athlete. The four answers are Bronco, Buffalo, Nugget and Rockie.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is NFC North cities. The four answers are Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay and Minneapolis.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is types of racing. The four answers are BMX, drag, horse and stock car.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Coach ____. The four answers are Carter, K, Prime and speak.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for March 9, #1724

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for March 9, No. 1,724.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a bit tricky, thanks to some unusual letters. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.