According to foreign media reports,AI Image GeneratorMidjourneyLast week, Midjourney quietly revised its terms of service to replace its previous humorous language with more formal lawyer language, a change seen as a sign that it is confident it can win a potential copyright lawsuit against creators.
Source Note: The image is generated by AI, and the image is authorized by Midjourney
AsGenerative AI ModelsMidjourney uses a large number of existing images and texts for training, including a large number of copyrighted works. The company has consistently argued that, in accordance with the principle of “reasonable use”, the use of a training model for copyright works is permitted if it is for creative secondary creation。
However, some artists and content creators do not think so, especially in the case of studies showing that these models can “reciprocate” training data. Some AI companies have taken initiatives to resolve disputes, such as contracting creators, providing training data and opting out. Instead of doing so, Midjourney openly used the works of others and included a list of thousands of artists who claimed that their works could be used in training models。
Now, a change of style by Midjourney gives the impression that the company is confident in winning a copyright case in court. If the court found that “reasonable use” did apply to an AI company such as Midjourney, it could continue to use “unbridled” training models for existing works。
Midjourney is currently growing rapidly, reportedly reaching approximately $200 million in revenue without a penny of outside investment. However, lawyers are expensive. If fair use is ruled not to apply in Midjourney's case, the company will suffer overnight.