In a landmark judgment handed down on 4 November 2025, the UK High Court has largely dismissed Getty Images' claims against Stability AI, the company behind Stable Diffusion.

What began as a sweeping legal challenge encompassing copyright, database rights, trade mark infringement and passing off has ended with only "extremely limited" findings against Stability -confined to early versions no longer in widespread use.

Why this matters

As one of the first AI copyright cases to reach trial globally, the judgment provides crucial clarity for AI developers on how traditional IP laws apply to generative AI technology.

Read the full analysis here.

Bird & Bird acted for Stability AI. The team was led by partners Toby Bond and Nick Aries, together with team members Louise O’Hara, Aneesah Kabba-Kamara, William Wortley, Zoe Fuller, Sam Triggs and Tristan Sherliker.