EP 043 · 74 MIN DISNEY SUING MIDJOURNEY MIGHT BACKFIRE
Midjourney Lawsuit, Video Leaks, and New --SRef System
The short version
Midjourney faces a copyright lawsuit from Disney and Universal, and Rory Flynn argues on Episode 43 that it reads as corporate legal strategy more than genuine grievance, one that could even backfire via the Streisand effect. The hosts also preview Midjourney's still-unreleased video model and an incoming --sref update requiring --sv4 or --sv5 on old codes, and live-test Topaz's Astra video upscaler and Runway's new conversational chat interface.
Key takeaways
- 01
Rory calls the Disney/Universal suit against Midjourney a legal strategy, not a real grievance, since Midjourney lacks a corporate parent to fight back.
- 02
Midjourney's incoming video model is image-to-video only at launch, roughly 5-second clips, and compatible with V4 through V7 and Niji, per office-hours notes.
- 03
The next --sref update will break saved style codes unless creators add --sv4 or --sv5: back up your code list before it ships.
- 04
Topaz's Astra upscaler adds real texture to Midjourney video, but Rory says it still over-sharpens facial lines and forehead wrinkles on close-ups.
- 05
Runway's new chat-style interface lets you edit a prompt mid-conversation instead of retyping it, but Rory found it far slower than Runway's Turbo models.
- 06
Rory replaced Photoshop with Weavy for thumbnail work, using its Relight tool to make layered composites match in lighting without manual dodge-and-burn.
- 07
Both hosts still see a persistent yellow/warm color bias in ChatGPT and Sora image outputs; explicitly prompting to reduce the yellow hue now works.
Receipts · said on the record
“We can't really like go back in time and stuff all that stuff back in. And again, they're creating net new outcomes. Like, think, like, when I think about images and video and stuff too, it's like, who owns a pixel?”
“It just smells fishy to me. It smells tactical. It doesn't smell like they're actually upset with Mid-Journey. It smells like, let's cut them at the right time for the right reason to try and get some sort of piece of whatever they're doing.”
“If you have something super complex, a lot of times, visually, the other tools just don't get it. They almost compress it to something different.”
“This is minimal viable podcasting. This is an MVP. That's exactly what this is. We show up, we do the podcast, we quickly upload this thing and that's it. But it's fun. It's the best hour.”
“Weavy is my sick addiction at the moment outside of, you know, Mid Journey and VO. It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me because there's so many things I want to do with it.”
Chapters
- 0:00:00 The Lawsuit Heard ‘Round the AI World
- 0:02:15 Disney, Universal, and a Legal Strategy Smelling Fishy
- 0:05:00 Fan Art, Fair Use, and the Star Wars Double Standard
- 0:08:50 Why Midjourney Might Win Even If It Loses
- 0:13:30 U.S. Bill Says: “No AI Regulation for 10 Years”
- 0:15:00 Midjourney Video Is (Almost) Here
- 0:16:45 First Reactions to Ranking Party Videos
- 0:18:00 Motion vs. Style: Where Midjourney Might Win
- 0:21:00 Comparing Video Tools: Runway, Frames, and Coherence Woes
- 0:25:00 4D AI Video and Simulation Vibes
- 0:29:45 Midjourney Video Details (5-Second Clips, Angle Change, V7 Compatibility)
- 0:32:00 Image Quality vs. Resource Allocation Worries
- 0:34:45 Style Reference (SREF) Update Breakdown
- 0:36:10 Moodboard Upgrades and the Return of SRF Fun
- 0:38:30 Rating Party #2: Wonkier, Weirder, Better?
- 0:41:30 Topaz Astra vs. Starlight: Video Upscaling Just Got Real
- 0:44:00 Face Lines, Forehead Fails, and Realism Woes
- 0:46:00 Runway Korea Drops Its Own Image Model
- 0:49:15 Runway's New Chat Interface in Action
- 0:51:00 Voice Prompting vs. Typing
- 0:53:50 Midjourney Fast Hours Hits 20K Subs
- 0:56:10 Runway Speed Issues and Prompt Iteration
- 0:58:45 Runway Tips + Reference Hack
- 1:00:00 That Yellow Hue Problem and a Fix?
- 1:03:10 Photoshop Replacements and Weevy Praise
- 1:05:45 AI Burnout and Bigfoot Blowing Up Campfires
- 1:07:10 Google + Veo 3’s Hybrid Film Project
- 1:09:00 Final Thoughts, Tribeca, and Father's Day Love
Questions this episode answers
What did Fast Hours say about the Disney and Universal lawsuit against Midjourney?
Rory argues the suit reads more like corporate legal strategy than genuine grievance, partly because Midjourney has no corporate parent to fight back, and says it could even backfire and boost Midjourney through a Streisand effect. Drew adds that it raises broader, unresolved questions about how AI models are trained. Both hosts note they aren't legal experts.
What do we know about Midjourney's upcoming video model from Episode 43?
Per Midjourney's office-hours notes discussed on the show, the model will launch image-to-video only (no text-to-video), support V4 through V7 and Niji, and ship at a medium quality setting with roughly 5-second clips; extension features and higher resolution are planned for after launch. Rory predicts it won't beat Veo 3 on cinematic camera motion but will stand out by animating Midjourney's own complex, stylized images.
What's changing with Midjourney's --sref system?
Drew reports that Midjourney's next --sref update will break previously saved style codes unless creators add --sv4 or --sv5, while also adding an SREF Random feature and better URL handling. Both hosts say Midjourney's moodboard tool has also quietly improved since its V7 launch.
How does Topaz Astra compare for upscaling AI video?
Rory calls Topaz's Astra, built on its earlier Starlight model, effectively 'Magnific for video': it adds real detail in Precise or Creative (Subtle/Bold) modes, but he says it still over-sharpens facial details like forehead lines and softens other areas.
What is Weavy, and why does Rory like it?
Weavy (Figma Weave) is the tool Rory now uses instead of Photoshop for the show's thumbnails, citing its layered compositing, background removal, and a Relight feature that unifies lighting across a composited image.
Show notes
Fast Hours Podcast Ep. 43—Midjourney Lawsuit, Video Leaks, and New --SRef System
Drew and Rory spiral through the Disney + Universal vs. Midjourney lawsuit, throw some shade at corporate legal strategy, and explore why this could weirdly help Midjourney in the long run.
They go deep on the upcoming Midjourney video feature (yes, angle changes confirmed), dissect the new --sref update and moodboard upgrades, and test out video upscaling tools and Runway’s new chat interface live on-air.
You’ll hear predictions, contradictions, AI-fueled ranting, a nun with a flamethrower, and some unfiltered Father's Day feels.
Somewhere in there, they even hit 20K subscribers.
Warning: You may leave this episode convinced you're in a simulation.
