Headlines
Getty Images largely loses landmark UK lawsuit over AI image generator
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on November 4, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Quick Summary
Getty Images lost a landmark UK lawsuit against Stability AI over image generator use, with partial success on trademark claims.
Getty Images largely loses landmark UK lawsuit over AI image generator
Getty Images vs. Stability AI: Case Overview
LONDON (Reuters) -Getty Images largely lost its landmark lawsuit against artificial intelligence company Stability AI over its image generator at London's High Court on Tuesday.
Background of the Lawsuit
Seattle-based Getty, which produces editorial content and creative stock images and video, accused Stability AI of using its images to "train" its Stable Diffusion system, which can generate images from text inputs.
Court's Ruling and Implications
The company sued Stability AI for trademark infringement and for secondary copyright infringement, alleging that Stability AI imported into the United Kingdom an AI model which breached its copyright.
Trademark Infringement Findings
Judge Joanna Smith said in a written ruling that Getty had succeeded "in part" on trademark infringement, but that her findings were "both historic and extremely limited in scope". She also dismissed the secondary copyright infringement claim.
Limitations of the Ruling
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Sarah Young)
Key Takeaways
- •Getty Images lost a major lawsuit against Stability AI.
- •The case involved AI-generated images and copyright issues.
- •Getty succeeded partially on trademark infringement claims.
- •Secondary copyright infringement claims were dismissed.
- •The ruling has limited scope but historic implications.
Frequently Asked Questions about Getty Images largely loses landmark UK lawsuit over AI image generator
1What is copyright infringement?
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of copyrighted material, such as images or text, that violates the rights of the copyright holder.
2What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines programmed to think and learn like humans, often used in various applications including image generation.
