Stability AI Ltd., Stability AI, Inc., Midjourney Inc., and DeviantArt Inc. have developed products that violate the rights of artists and other creative people under the guise of alleged “artificial intelligence.” A class action lawsuit has been filed against these companies for DMCA violations, right of publicity violations, unlawful competition, and breach of TOS. On behalf of a class of plaintiffs, The Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP, Matthew Butterick, and Lockridge, Grindal, Nauen P.L.L.P. have filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The lawsuit asks for damages for harms brought on by Stability AI, DeviantArt, and Midjourney as well as an injunction to stop further harms. The complaint makes several claims, including direct copyright infringement, vicarious copyright infringement resulting from forgeries, violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), infringement of class members’ rights to privacy and publicity, breach of the DeviantArt Terms of Service contract, and various violations of California’s unfair competition laws.
Stable Diffusion is a piece of artificial intelligence that Stability AI, DeviantArt, and Midjourney utilise in their AI image offerings, according to the complaint. The LAION-5B dataset, which includes billions of copyrighted photos, was obtained and used without the artists’ permission or payment during its training. The inevitable outcome of allowing Stable Diffusion and like goods to continue operating as they currently do is that they will displace the same artists whose stolen works power these AI products with which they are in competition. AI image goods are not merely a violation of the rights of artists; whether intentionally or not, they will make it impossible to pursue a career as an artist. In addition to seeking recompense for the wrongdoing, our action aims to ensure that these goods adhere to the same standards as any other new technology that makes extensive use of intellectual property. AI products can be produced legally if streaming music is allowed.

Source: Prnewswire