Midjourney Seeks Court Order to Force Hollywood Studios to Disclose Their AI Usage

Midjourney has filed a motion in its ongoing copyright litigation against three major Hollywood studios, seeking a court order that would force the studios to disclose how they use artificial intelligence internally. The motion, submitted this week, represents a counter-offensive strategy in the high-profile copyright battle.

The three studios had previously accused Midjourney of training its AI image generation models on copyrighted material without permission, alleging massive copyright infringement. Midjourney's legal team now argues that the studios themselves have been actively adopting AI tools — including potentially Midjourney's own products — in their film and television production workflows.

In the filing, Midjourney's attorneys argue that if the studios are simultaneously suing AI companies for copyright infringement while deploying those same AI tools in their own productions, it amounts to a clear double standard. The company is requesting that the studios produce internal AI usage policies, employee training records, and contracts with AI vendors.

If the court grants the motion, it could force Hollywood to publicly reveal AI usage details that have long remained opaque. Over the past two years, Hollywood's relationship with AI has been carefully managed — union agreements have drawn boundaries around AI use, but the actual extent of deployment at each studio remains largely unknown to the public.

The case could set a significant precedent for the creative industries. Midjourney's strategy essentially poses a central question: if you are using AI yourself, on what grounds are you suing someone else for using it? If the court accepts this line of reasoning, it could ripple through other pending AI copyright cases.

The court has not yet ruled on the motion. The key development to watch is whether the three studios will push back by citing trade secrets or internal-process exemptions to withhold their AI disclosures. The case may also inspire other AI companies to adopt similar counter-discovery strategies in copyright litigation.