Disney, Universal and Warner Bros Discovery have jointly filed a lawsuit against popular Chinese video generator Hailooai.
Disney, Universal and Warner Bros Discovery sued Chinese AI company Minimax in US District Court for the Central District of California on Tuesday. Minimax owns Hailuo AI, a video generation tool that promotes its status as a “Hollywood studio in your pocket.” Reuters.
The studio claims that Minimax ignored US copyright protections by using the characters as their own characters. In this lawsuit, Chinese companies “boldly” use these well-known characters to sell and promote Hailuo AI.
According to the filing, hailuo allows subscribers to create downloadable videos and images of characters, including Darth Vader. Star WarsFrom Bert The Simpsonsand Iron Man – Carries all Minimax hailuo branding.
“Minimax's bootleg business model and the rebellion of the US copyright law is not only an attack on the hardworking creative community that makes the magic of film alive, but also a broader threat to the American film industry.”
The studio is asking the court to ban Minimax from further infringement. They also seek damages of up to $150,000 in copyright, along with attorneys' fees and costs.
First US lawsuit against a Chinese AI company
The lawsuit marks the first time a Chinese AI company has faced such a lawsuit in the United States, and the number of copyright disputes between Hollywood Studios and AI companies is increasing.
In June, Disney and Universal filed a joint lawsuit against the Mid Journey, accusing them of infringement of copyright infringement in a case that could help redefine Hollywood's copyright rules. Warner Bros. later joined the company's lawsuit against the generator AI company.
But in an explosive initial response to last month's lawsuit, Midi Johnny denounced Disney and Universal. The company claims it has no authority to prevent AI training on its works. Midjourney's lawyers accused the company of operating within fair use restrictions and is universal with Disney, and also said it also benefits from the generation AI. They argued that Midjourney is widely used by visual effects companies and other vendors working with Disney and Universal.
Image credits: All photos via court documents.
