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The trial involving Getty Images and Stability AI began in London on Monday, June 9, 2025. Getty alleges in its lawsuit that the team behind Stability AI copied millions of copyrighted images without permissions to train its AI model.
Stability AI acknowledges the use of these images but argues that it did not violate Getty’s trademark rights. In addition, the company insists that Getty’s lawsuit poses a threat to the ongoing development of other AI tools.
Understanding the allegations
Getty Images, a visual media company, boasts nearly 480 million assets in its online repository of stock images and videos. In the lawsuit, the company claims that Stability AI used more than 12 million of these images to train Stable Diffusion, a generative AI tool that can create detailed images from text prompts. Getty alleges that this was done without obtaining proper license or consent.
While Getty Images is based in Seattle, WA, it is a global company with offices around the world. Since Stability AI is based in London, the current lawsuit is being heard in London’s High Court.
Getty has filed a similar lawsuit against Stability AI in the US, specifically in Delaware. Stability AI is also among the companies named in a class-action lawsuit that was filed in California on behalf of numerous visual artists.
If Getty succeeds, it could secure a court order stopping Stability AI from using any of its copyrighted content. The company is seeking monetary compensation based on any profits derived from the alleged misuse of its intellectual property.
Breaking down the defense
The team with Stability AI doesn’t deny using the copyrighted content in order to train its generative AI model; the company’s lawyers insist that Getty’s content is a part of the “collective human knowledge,” and therefore allows for fair usage in this manner.
A spokesperson for Stability AI was quoted as saying: “The wider dispute is about technological innovation and freedom of ideas,” and “Artists using our tools are producing works built upon collective human knowledge, which is at the core of fair use and freedom of expression.”
Fighting for the future of AI
Both Getty Images and Stability AI believe that they are fighting for the future of AI. Stability AI argues that a ruling in Getty’s favor could significantly hinder the development of next-generation AI systems. But lawyers with Getty disagree; Getty envisions a future where AI developers will pay for any copyrighted content they use, whether that happens during training or otherwise.
