Disney Files a Blockbuster Complaint Against Midjourney
On June 11, 2025, the mouse (Disney Enterprises), along with co-plaintiffs Marvel Characters, Lucasfilm, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Universal City Studios, and DreamWorks Animation, filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement against AI image generator Midjourney, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Disney Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Midjourney, Inc.; C.D. Cal. Case No. 2:25-cv-05275.
The Ninth Circuit Finds that the Ford Mustangs Named “Eleanor” from the Gone in 60 Seconds Films Are Not Copyrightable Characters
In a blow to the owners of the rights to the film Gone in 60 Seconds, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that “Eleanor”—the series of Ford Mustangs featured in the film franchise—is not a character entitled to copyright protection. The May 27, 2025, decision in Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc. v. Halicki, 2025 U.S. App. LEXIS 12766, F.4th (9th Cir. 2025), clarifies the high bar for a fictional “character” to be independently copyrightable, particularly when that character is an inanimate object.