Disney, Universal, Warner Bros Sue China's MiniMax Over AI Copyright Infringement

LOS ANGELES — Walt Disney, Comcast’s Universal, and Warner Bros Discovery filed a copyright lawsuit against Chinese AI company MiniMax on Tuesday, alleging its Hailuo AI service was built using intellectual property stolen from the three Hollywood studios.

The complaint, filed in a California district court, claims MiniMax “audaciously” used copyrighted characters like Darth Vader from “Star Wars,” Minions from “Despicable Me,” and Wonder Woman to market Hailuo AI as a “Hollywood studio in your pocket.” The lawsuit alleges that Hailuo generates downloadable images and videos of these characters with MiniMax branding based on simple user text prompts.

According to the suit, MiniMax ignored the studios’ requests to implement measures to prevent infringement, instead actively encouraging violations of U.S. copyright law by treating the studios’ characters as its own. “A responsible approach to AI innovation is critical, and today’s lawsuit against MiniMax again demonstrates our shared commitment to holding accountable those who violate copyright laws, wherever they may be based,” the companies said in a joint statement.

MiniMax did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The studios seek any profits derived from the alleged infringement, as well as a court order to stop MiniMax from offering Hailuo AI without proper copyright protections. The lawsuit follows similar actions by Disney and Universal against AI company Midjourney in June, and by Warner Bros Discovery against Midjourney earlier this month, for providing unauthorized AI-generated copies of copyrighted work.

MiniMax, which operates on a subscription model, reportedly serves over 157 million individual users across 200 countries and more than 50,000 enterprises and developers in over 90 countries, according to its website. The company is targeting a valuation exceeding $4 billion and plans a public listing.

The case is part of a broader wave of lawsuits by copyright owners, including authors, news outlets, and music labels, against tech firms like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Anthropic over unauthorized use of content in AI training.