Getty Images is vigorously pursuing legal actions against Stability AI, the creator of Stable Diffusion, accusing the company of unauthorized use of copyrighted images. In January 2023, Getty Images filed a lawsuit in London's High Court of Justice, asserting that Stability AI illegally copied millions of its images and metadata without proper licensing. Additionally, in February 2023, Getty brought another suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, claiming over 12 million images were used to train Stable Diffusion, infringing both copyright and trademark protections.
Significant legal developments have transpired since then. The Verge reported in December 2023, a UK court acknowledged the validity of Getty’s claims by allowing the lawsuit to proceed to trial, suggesting that the allegations were deemed serious enough to warrant further judicial examination. Meanwhile, in August 2024, a U.S. judge pared down Getty's lawsuit, dismissing all but the core copyright infringement claim against Stability AI, setting the stage for a focused legal argument on that front.
Recently, in December 2024, the situation intensified as a UK judge cast doubt on the reliability of evidence presented by Stability AI, according to the Telegraph. This judicial skepticism questions the robustness of Stability AI’s defense and suggests that the ongoing trial may impact how AI-generated content and intellectual property rights are defined in the future. These developments highlight Getty Images’ strategic efforts to safeguard its assets in the realm of artificial intelligence.