EVOX sues Midjourney over car photos

EVOX Productions LLC has sued Midjourney in federal court in Los Angeles, accusing the AI image company of copying copyrighted vehicle photos to train its image generator without permission. The complaint was filed on July 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, according to court records. EVOX says it is a leading licensor of automotive photography and has photographed nearly every commercially available car make and model sold in the United States since 2000. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment reported by PetaPixel. ### When was the case actually filed? CourtListener’s docket shows the case, *EVOX Productions LLC v. Midjourney, Inc.*, was filed on July 30, 2026, under case number 2:26-cv-08408 in the Central District of California. The docket lists a copyright complaint, civil cover sheet, summons request and related filings entered that day, with summons issued on August 3 and an initial order filed on August 4. (courtlistener.com) PetaPixel reported on August 5 that EVOX had sued Midjourney “on Thursday,” which matches the July 30 filing date shown on the federal docket. ### What does EVOX say Midjourney copied? EVOX says in its complaint that Midjourney copied “tens of thousands” of its vehicle images and used them to train its AI system without a license. (courtlistener.com) PetaPixel, citing the lawsuit and Bloomberg Law News, reported that EVOX alleges Midjourney downloaded the images from publicly available online datasets and used them without consent. (petapixel.com) The complaint says EVOX has valid copyright registrations for more than one million images. It also describes EVOX as a company whose photos have been licensed for decades by auto manufacturers, dealer websites, shopping sites and newspapers. ### Why are car photos central to this dispute? EVOX says its business is built on standardized, high-quality photography of cars that appears across dealership and marketplace listings. (petapixel.com) The complaint says the company uses a specialized studio, professional photographers, advanced cameras and post-production work, including computer-generated imagery, to create a consistent visual style. (copyrightalliance.org) PetaPixel reported that EVOX argues Midjourney’s product competes with that licensing business by letting users generate car images through a subscription service rather than paying to license photographs. That is EVOX’s characterization in the lawsuit, not a court finding. ### What legal claims is EVOX bringing? (copyrightalliance.org) The complaint’s cover page lists claims for direct copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement and violations of 17 U.S.C. § 1202(b), the federal provision covering removal or alteration of copyright management information. PetaPixel reported that EVOX alleges Midjourney removed copyright information such as watermarks, image credits and metadata before using the photos for training. (petapixel.com) EVOX is asking the court to stop the alleged use and award compensation, according to that report and the complaint. ### What happens next in court? (copyrightalliance.org) The August 3 docket entry shows summons were issued, which is the step that allows formal service on Midjourney. The case has also been assigned to U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt, according to court-tracking records. The next public milestones are likely to be proof of service, an appearance by Midjourney’s lawyers and any response to the complaint filed in the Central District of California. (petapixel.com) As of the latest docket update visible on CourtListener, the last known filing was dated August 4. (courtlistener.com)