Warner Bros. Discovery has launched a copyright lawsuit against AI startup Midjourney, alleging the company enables users to generate images and videos of iconic characters such as Superman, Batman and Bugs Bunny without permission.

The complaint claims Midjourney’s service reproduces Warner Bros. intellectual property on a massive scale.

Midjourney offers a subscription-based AI platform that lets users create images and video clips. Warner Bros. alleges that the startup trained its AI system on “illegal copies” of its works and encourages subscribers to produce images of characters in “every imaginable scene.”

Even generic prompts, such as “classic comic book superhero battle,” reportedly generate high-quality depictions of DC characters including Superman, Batman, and Flash.

The studio claims Midjourney profits from these creations while failing to implement protections for copyright owners, seeking up to $150,000 in damages per infringement.

“It is hard to imagine copyright infringement that is any more willful than what Midjourney is doing here,” the lawsuit reads, accusing the company of deliberately exploiting Warner Bros.’ intellectual property to attract subscribers.

This lawsuit follows a similar legal action filed in June by Walt Disney and Universal, which alleged Midjourney generated endless copies of characters like Darth Vader, Bart Simpson and Shrek.

Midjourney has previously defended its platform by citing fair use, arguing that its AI models learn visual concepts by analyzing billions of publicly available images. The company has also emphasised that users are responsible for adhering to its terms of service.

Warner Bros. is now seeking a court order to prevent Midjourney from copying, displaying, or distributing its characters, in addition to claiming profits earned from the alleged infringements.