3 Count: End of Journey

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1: Midjourney: Report Claims AI Model Is Worst Offender For Flouting Hollywood Copyright

First off, today Jake Kanter at Deadline reports that a report by an AI‑tech startup has found that Midjourney is the worst offender among some 15 popular AI models when it comes to copyright infringement.

The study was performed by VN.ai, a startup that “stress‑tests” AI models to see how well they comply with copyright law. According to their report, Midjourney reproduced copyright‑infringing images some 37 % of the time, including of famous characters like Frozen’s Elsa and the Joker.

Midjourney is currently facing a copyright‑infringement lawsuit filed by Disney and NBCUniversal, which alleges that the company routinely flouts copyright laws by generating images with popular characters. This latest report indicates that Midjourney has not significantly improved its performance since the lawsuit was filed 18 months ago.

2: Publishers Seek $19.5m From Pirate Library WeLib, Recycle Anna’s Archive Claims

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at TorrentFreak writes that a group of major book publishers are seeking a $19.5 million default judgment against the pirate library WeLib.

The publishers first warned about the site last year but filed a lawsuit against it in July. WeLib has not participated in the lawsuit, causing the publishers to file for a default judgment. As part of that judgment, they are asking for $19.5 million in damages, the same amount they are currently seeking against the similar site, Anna’s Archive.

Should the judge grant the request, the publishers will then have to find a way to enforce the judgment. However, as similar cases have shown, that is much easier said than done.

3: Kanye West Loses Bid to Strike Antisemitic Remarks From Copyright Lawsuit

Finally today, Trey Alston at Complex reports Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has lost a bid to strike antisemitic remarks from a copyright lawsuit against him.

The lawsuit was filed by Alice Merton, who claims that Ye unlawfully sampled her song Blindside for his song Gun to My Head. Merton alleges that she denied Ye permission to use the song in part because of past antisemitic comments he has made.

Ye wanted those comments to be removed from the record, but the judge has denied his request, saying that the remarks are relevant to the case. The judge is also denying Ye’s request to bar discussion of past copyright‑infringement allegations, saying that they are also relevant to the case.

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