Universal Pictures is continuing its crackdown on generative AI with new messaging, threatening legal action against anyone who uses its movies to train AI systems, at the end of all its new movies.
The legal warning says Universal's movies "may not be used to train AI" and appears during the end credits of its releases.
"This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries," the warning reads. "Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution."
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Universal thinks that "the worldwide insertion of the language adds another layer of protection against the theft of its movies for data mining and AI training purposes."
The messaging has appeared at the end of Universal's biggest releases of the summer: How to Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World Rebirth, and The Bad Guys 2.
Universal recently teamed up with Disney to sue AI company Midjourney, and the two studios called AI a "bottomless pit of plagiarism". An NBCUniversal spokesperson said that the company was suing the company to "protect the hard work of all the artists whose work entertains and inspires us and the significant investment we make in our content."
Just last month, Amazon backed a new AI service, Showrunner, that uses material from existing TV shows to allow users to create their own episodes. The CEO of Fable, the company behind the software, said that "Hollywood streaming services are about to become two-way entertainment."
For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the best upcoming movies still to come in 2025.
