Background of the Dispute

Stability AI, known for its popular AI‑generated art platform Stable Diffusion, was sued by Getty Images in 2023. Getty alleged that Stability had unlawfully scraped millions of images from its archive to train its generative model, seeking both copyright and trademark remedies.

High Court Proceedings in England

The case became the first major AI copyright claim to reach England’s High Court. Early expectations suggested it could set a landmark precedent on whether AI systems must obtain permission before training on copyrighted material. However, midway through the trial Getty withdrew its primary argument concerning the training data, citing weak evidence.

Judge Joanna Smith ultimately found that Stability AI had infringed Getty’s trademark by creating images that displayed Getty’s watermarks. Conversely, she rejected Getty’s claim of secondary copyright infringement, stating that Stable Diffusion does not store or reproduce any copyrighted works, thereby limiting the scope of Getty’s relief.

Implications of the Verdict

The ruling offers little clarity for other AI developers and rightsholders. While Stability AI avoided a broader copyright liability, the trademark infringement finding underscores that the use of recognizable watermarks can still trigger legal exposure.

Ongoing Litigation in the United States

Getty Images is pursuing a separate lawsuit in the United States. The case was initially filed in Delaware shortly after the UK proceedings, then voluntarily dismissed and refiled in California in August. Getty hopes the U.S. action will yield a stronger outcome.

Wider Context of AI‑Related Copyright Battles

This dispute joins a growing roster of legal confrontations between AI companies and creative industries. Anthropic recently agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement with a coalition of authors, and Universal Music withdrew its copyright claims against AI startup Udio as part of a strategic partnership to launch an AI‑driven music platform.

Future Outlook

The Stability AI‑Getty decision leaves the central question of AI training data rights in legal limbo, suggesting that future cases will continue to shape the evolving landscape of AI copyright law.

Used: News Factory APP - news discovery and automation - ChatGPT for Business