Disney, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros Discovery sued Chinese AI company Minimax in federal court on Tuesday, denounced the company for a “willful and brave” piracy scheme, using the original character as its own.
“Minimax's bootlegging business model and rebellion of the US copyright law is not only an attack on plaintiffs and hardworking creative communities who make the magic of film alive, but also a broader threat to the American film industry, which has produced millions of jobs and contributed more than $26 billion to the country's economy.
“We support innovation that enhances human creativity while protecting the contributions of countless creators and the creative industry as a whole,” the three companies said in a joint statement on TheWrap. “A responsible approach to AI innovation is important, and today's lawsuit against Minimax shows once again our common commitment to retaining accountable people wherever people are violating copyright law.”
The lawsuit marks the second time Entertainment Titan has united to protect its work against AI companies. Disney and NBCuniversal sued the AI company Midjourney in June, claiming similar copyright infringement complaints. Warner Bros. joined the lawsuit earlier this month.
Legal efforts highlight the length of companies trying to protect their work from the rapid breach of AI. The New York Times filed a blockbuster lawsuit against Openai and Microsoft in late 2023, claiming that companies infringed their works, with other publishers trying to partner with AI companies or protect their jobs from online “scraping” that allows AI software to use other people's work to improve their models.
Minimax submitted its IPO to Hong Kong in July at a $4 billion valuation, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Shanghai-based company is backed by Alibaba and Tencent.
