According to engadget, the UK High Court has delivered a mixed but significant ruling in the copyright battle between Getty Images and Stability AI. Justice Joanna Smith ruled that AI models like Stable Diffusion aren’t considered “infringing copies” under UK law because they don’t store or reproduce copyright works. This comes after Getty first sued Stability AI back in 2023, alleging the company used millions of its protected images to train Stable Diffusion without permission. Interestingly, Getty had to withdraw its primary copyright infringement claims because it couldn’t prove the unauthorized copying actually happened in the UK. The judge did acknowledge some evidence of Getty’s images being used—noting the presence of Getty’s watermark—but called this evidence “both historic and extremely limited in scope.” Both companies are now claiming victory in what could become a landmark case for AI copyright law.
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What This Means For Creators
Here’s the thing—this ruling probably won’t make artists and photographers sleep any better at night. The court basically said that training AI on copyrighted work doesn’t automatically make the resulting model itself an infringing copy. But that’s a pretty narrow technical win. The judge still found evidence that Getty’s images were used, complete with visible watermarks. So while Stability AI gets to claim their model isn’t illegal under UK law, the underlying practice of using copyrighted training data remains legally murky. Getty’s statement says they’re “deeply concerned” that even “well-resourced companies” remain at risk due to unclear rules. Basically, we’re still in that messy phase where technology has outpaced the law, and everyone’s trying to figure out what’s actually allowed.
The Bigger Picture
Look at what Getty did just days before this ruling—they announced a licensing deal with Perplexity AI. That’s not a coincidence. Companies are realizing that fighting AI in court is one approach, but building partnerships might be smarter. Getty’s making Perplexity commit to better image attribution and legal usage practices. It’s almost like they’re creating the model for how these deals should work. Meanwhile, Stability AI’s general counsel says this ruling “ultimately resolves the copyright concerns that were the core issue.” But does it really? Or does it just kick the can down the road until someone brings a stronger case with clearer evidence?
Where We Go From Here
So what happens next? Getty’s already urging the UK government to update laws around this issue. And they’re not wrong—current copyright frameworks were written before anyone imagined AI training on billions of images. The broader legal landscape remains fragmented, with different countries taking different approaches. For developers and companies building AI tools, this ruling provides some temporary comfort in the UK. But it’s far from a global solution. And for creators? Well, they’re still stuck in this weird limbo where their work can be used to train systems that might eventually compete with them. The conversation about fair compensation and ethical training practices is just getting started, and this ruling feels more like an intermission than a finale.
