Although MiniMax is based in Shanghai, the suit claims the company is violating U.S. copyright law by using the studios’ “valuable copyrighted characters like its own,” including in advertising and promotion. “MiniMax markets Hailuo AI as a ‘Hollywood studio in your pocket’— an audacious self-anointed nickname given that MiniMax built its business from intellectual property stolen from Hollywood studios like Plaintiffs,” the filing states. If a user submits a request asking for an image or video of Darth Vader (the same character used in the previous suit) doing a particular action, for example, Hailuo will spit it out in a “high quality, downloadable” format “with MiniMax Hailuo branding no less,” per the suit. The studios further claim that MiniMax failed to heed their previous cease-and-desist requests. “MiniMax, which has attracted millions of subscribers and is now reportedly worth $4 billion, blatantly continues to infringe Plaintiffs’ copyrights in favor of its own bottom line,” the complaint continues.
Lest people assume this suit is just about the studios‘ bottom line, the complaint also contains an appeal to the legacy of the artists who actually created the characters in the first place. “MiniMax’s bootlegging business model and defiance of U.S. copyright law are not only an attack on Plaintiffs and the hard-working creative community that brings the magic of movies to life, but are also a broader threat to the American motion picture industry, which has created millions of jobs and contributed more than $260 billion to the nation’s economy,” it reads. “We support innovation that enhances human creativity while protecting the contributions of countless creators and the entire creative industry,” the three studios added in a joint statement. “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.”
This new copyright suit joins dozens of others from creative fields around the world, as authors, artists, musicians, journalists, and more fight to keep their work from turning into AI slop. Some of those battles have been lost, and some have been won. We’ll see if Disney, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. can effectively sink MiniMax’s ship as the war rages on.
