China’s MiniMax fails to dismiss Disney copyright lawsuit over AI system

Tuesday 26 - 16:45

A U.S. federal court has rejected a request by Chinese artificial intelligence company MiniMax to dismiss a copyright lawsuit filed by major American entertainment companies, including Disney, Comcast’s Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The case concerns allegations that MiniMax used copyrighted material without authorization to develop its AI system known as Hailuo, which generates images and videos. The studios argue that the system was trained on protected content and can reproduce characters and elements from well-known franchises such as Marvel and Star Wars.

According to the complaint, MiniMax also promoted its technology using marketing language suggesting it could function as a “Hollywood studio in your pocket,” raising further concerns about intellectual property misuse.

The U.S. District Court ruled that the plaintiffs had presented sufficient grounds for the case to proceed and confirmed that it had jurisdiction over the matter. This decision allows the lawsuit to move forward in federal court.

This case is part of a broader wave of legal actions by media companies, authors, and publishers against artificial intelligence firms. These lawsuits generally argue that copyrighted works are being used without permission to train generative AI systems.

Legal experts note that the outcome of this case could influence future regulations surrounding AI development and intellectual property protection in the United States and beyond.