US EditionHollywood Giants Sue Chinese AI Firm over Copyright Infringement
Hollywood studios accuse MiniMax of profiting from unauthorized use of iconic characters to train AI, threatening the $260 billion U.S. motion picture industry, the lawsuit states.
- The three media companies filed suit on Tuesday in California, alleging MiniMax treated their copyrighted characters as its own to promote Hailuo AI.
- The studios say MiniMax operated a 'bootlegging' business model, copying characters to train Hailuo AI and supplying infringing videos despite a cease-and-desist letter and ignored protection requests.
- According to the complaint, subscribers can prompt Hailuo AI to generate downloadable videos of characters like Darth Vader, Minions, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man.
- The studios are seeking MiniMax's profits, monetary damages including statutory damages up to $150,000 per work, and a permanent injunction, warning the model threatens an industry contributing more than $260 billion.
- The lawsuit is part of a broader wave of litigation targeting AI developers, following earlier suits this month against Midjourney and marking the first major U.S. studio case against a Chinese AI firm.
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38 Articles
Hollywood studio giants sue Chinese AI firm over copyright infringement
Top Hollywood studios filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Chinese artificial intelligence company MiniMax, alleging massive copyright infringement. Hollywood sign. Photo: Paul Deetman, via Pexels. Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Universal Pictures accuse MiniMax of building what they call a “bootlegging business model” that systematically copies their most valuable copyrighted characters to train its AI system, then profits by generating …
Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures Sue Chinese AI Company in Escalation of Copyright Battle
In recent months, studios have started to sue AI companies that allow users to generate images and videos of copyrighted characters. They characterize the alleged theft of their content as an existential threat to Hollywood.
The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery today filed a joint lawsuit against Chinese artificial intelligence firm MiniMax, accusing it of massive copyright infringement of their film studios' content.
Denoting a true "economic model of smuggling" based on the IA, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Universal Pictures intend to defend their iconic characters.
Disney, Two Other Studios Sue AI Company for Alleged Copyright Infringement
Burbank-based Disney, along with Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal, Tuesday sued a Chinese artificial intelligence company, alleging in federal court that MiniMax engaged in “willful and brazen” copyright infringement. The media companies contend the image-generating platform ignores U.S. copyright law and treats the studios’ trademarked characters, including Spider-Man, Batman, and the Minions, as if they were owned by MiniMax. “MiniMax o…
Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery sue Chinese AI firm as Hollywood's copyright battles spread
Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery sued China-based AI firm MiniMax for copyright infringement, the second lawsuit that major studios have filed as the entertainment industry grapples with the growth of AI tools.
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