The UK Supreme Court on Tuesday (local time) ruled in favor of Stability AI in the lawsuit over copyrights and trademarks initiated by Getty Images, one of the most important in the current legal wave surrounding generative AI.
Getty, based in Seattle (USA), accused Stability AI of illegally using 12 million images from its data warehouse to train the Stable diffusion photo creation model without permission.
However, Judge Joanna Smith has largely dismissed the allegations, concluding that Stability's AI system did not store or copy any copyrighted works.
According to the written verdict, Getty won only a small part of the brand infringement charge, when the company's blurred image appeared on some AI-generated images. However, the court emphasized that the scope of the violation was extremely limited and there was no evidence of its popularity.
Stability AI, based in London, said it was satisfied with the ruling, affirming that this was an important step to clarify the legal aspect in the field of AI and Image copyright.
This ruling has finally addressed core concerns about copyright and deep learning technology, said Christian Dowell, general advisor to the firm.
Meanwhile, Getty still said this was an important issue for intellectual property owners, although its stock fell 3% before the US trading session.
Legal experts say that this lawsuit is a turning point in the global debate on intellectual property rights in the AI era.
The case shows a lack of clarity in current law on AI training with copyrighted data, said another investor at Michelmores.
According to the records, Getty withdrew the copyright infringement allegations during the trial, a sign that the possibility of a lawsuit won was low. They have only continued to pursue allegations of secondary violations, arguing that providing Stable differenceusion services in the UK is equivalent to illegally importing copies of images. However, this argument was also rejected by the court.
Observers say that this verdict not only affects Getty and Stability AI, but also sets an important precedent for AI development companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic or Midjourney... who are facing similar lawsuits from artists, photographers and publishers.
Balancing technological innovation and creativity is a major challenge for the times, Justice Smith concluded. But the court can only try within the existing legal framework".
