Disney v MiniMax
Disney v. MiniMax Inc. is a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by The Walt Disney Company and other major content creators against MiniMax, a Chinese artificial intelligence company, alleging that MiniMax's AI video generation tools were trained on copyrighted works without authorization. The plaintiffs include DreamWorks Animation LLC, Sony Pictures Animation Inc., Warner Bros Discovery Inc., and various book authors and illustrators.
Plaintiffs
- The Walt Disney Company
- DreamWorks Animation LLC
- Sony Pictures Animation Inc.
- Warner Bros Discovery Inc.
- Various book authors and illustrators
Defendants
- MiniMax Inc.
- MiniMax (Hong Kong) Limited
Claims
The plaintiffs allege that MiniMax's AI video generation tools, including the Hailuo video platform, were trained on copyrighted motion pictures, television shows, and literary works without permission or compensation. The lawsuit also includes claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for the alleged removal of copyright management information (CMI).
Procedural History
- Filing date: March 18, 2026[1]
- Court: U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- Docket: 2:26-cv-02128
Significance
Disney v. MiniMax is one of the first major copyright lawsuits targeting a Chinese AI company, raising questions about cross-border enforcement of copyright law in the generative AI context. The case is also noteworthy for targeting video-generating AI specifically, as opposed to image or music generation.
See Also
- Ted Entertainment v OpenAI Inc
- Kadrey v Meta Platforms Inc
- UMG Recordings Inc v Suno Inc
- Disney Moves to Dismiss — April 26, 2026