AI systems are now restricted from learning data derived from Universal Pictures films, as per the new legal warning added to their movies like 'How to Train Your Dragon'.
In a significant move to protect their intellectual property in the rapidly evolving world of AI-generated media, Hollywood studios Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures have started including warnings in the credits of their movies, stating that the films "may not be used to train AI."
This action is part of a broader legal strategy to prevent AI companies from mining studio-owned intellectual property to create unauthorized AI-generated media and to assert copyright protections against such uses. The warning explicitly threatens legal consequences, including civil liability and criminal prosecution, for unauthorized use of the films in AI training.
The context behind this move includes recent lawsuits filed by Disney and Universal against the AI startup Midjourney, which they accuse of copying iconic characters and scenes from their copyrighted films to generate AI images, reportedly generating significant revenue from this work. The litigation between the parties is ongoing.
Universal Pictures has included a warning in the credits of some of its recent movies, such as "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Jurassic World Rebirth." The warning also appeared in "The Bad Guys 2." Disney, the top studio globally in 2024, bringing in $5.46 billion at the box office, has not been reported to have included similar warnings in its movies.
Netflix, too, has made headlines for using AI to generate footage for one of its shows for the first time. The Argentine science fiction show, "El Eternauta," or "The Eternaut," featured an AI-created scene showing a collapsing building. However, Netflix has not been involved in the ongoing litigation between Universal Pictures, Disney, and Midjourney.
Universal Pictures and Disney allege that Midjourney reproduced characters like Hiccup from "How to Train Your Dragon" and Po from "Kung Fu Panda." The end credit warning in "How to Train Your Dragon" states that Universal Pictures will take legal action if any company or individual uses the film for AI training.
While these warnings aim to bolster studios' legal positions, some AI experts suggest such messages alone may have limited practical effect unless studios can prove unauthorized AI training is occurring using their content. Nonetheless, these credit warnings serve as a formal and public assertion of rights and a deterrent against unauthorized AI use.
The warnings reference U.S. copyright law and in some cases a 2019 European directive allowing creators to opt out of AI use in research. Hollywood studios are concerned that AI companies might claim "fair use" to justify data mining, but the studios argue that unauthorized copying for AI training could lead to substantial damages. This legal battle is critical for studios trying to protect their shrinking audiences and valuable IP libraries in the emerging AI-driven entertainment landscape.
- The warning identifying films as being off-limits for AI training has become a standard practice for studios like Universal Pictures, as seen in movies such as "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Jurassic World Rebirth."
- Despite these efforts, AI startups, like the one in the recent lawsuit, Midjourney, have been accused of utilizing copyrighted characters and scenes from movies for generating revenue, prompting legal action from studios like Disney and Universal.
- In the realm of streaming services, Netflix, too, has joined the tech-meets-entertainment fray by featuring AI-created content, as demonstrated in the Argentine show "El Eternauta," albeit without involvement in the ongoing litigation with the studios.
- The ongoing legal battle between studios and AI startups is a crucial step in safeguarding intellectual property rights for Hollywood, especially as AI-driven entertainment continues to scale and potentially chip away at their shrinking audiences and IP libraries.
