Artist settles copyright suit against AI meme generator over 'Running Away Balloon' comic

A federal magistrate judge in Los Angeles dismissed digital artist Elmer Saflor’s copyright lawsuit against Memes Apps LLC, which runs the AI ad generator Memes.ai, after the two sides resolved the case, Mealey’s reported Oct. 22; its free summary does not give the terms. Saflor’s July 1 complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleged that the platform offered his “Running Away Balloon” comic, a two-panel strip he registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2024, as a template for commercial meme ads to subscribers on plans from $40 to $199 a month, without his permission.