Getty Images v Stability AI
Getty Images (US), Inc. v. Stability AI, Inc. is a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Getty Images against Stability AI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that Stability AI trained its Stable Diffusion image generation model on millions of Getty's copyrighted images without authorization, and that the AI system reproduces modified versions of Getty's content.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty">ChatGPT is Eating the World, Getty Images v. Stability AI coverage</ref>
Case Details
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Case Name | Getty Images (US), Inc. v. Stability AI, Inc. |
| Court | U.S. District Court, Northern District of California |
| Judge | Judge Trina Thompson |
| Plaintiff | Getty Images (US), Inc. |
| Defendant | Stability AI, Inc. |
| Claims | Copyright infringement; DMCA Section 1202(a) (CMI removal) |
Procedural History
The case was originally filed in the District of Delaware and subsequently transferred to the Northern District of California. Stability AI moved to dismiss the complaint; Judge Thompson heard arguments on the motion on April 7, 2026.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
On April 24, 2026, Judge Thompson issued her ruling on Stability AI's motion to dismiss. The court denied most of the motion, allowing the core copyright infringement claims to proceed to discovery. The only claim dismissed was Getty's DMCA Section 1202(a) claim for intentional removal of copyright management information (CMI), which the court found lacked sufficient allegations of specific intent to induce, enable, facilitate, or conceal infringement. The court stated: "However, the four corners of the Complaint lack allegations to suggest a specific intent to induce, enable, facilitate, or conceal the infringement."<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
Judge Thompson permitted Getty Images to amend its DMCA CMI claim in light of the ruling, providing a path for Getty to refile this claim with additional factual allegations supporting intentional removal.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
The parties have also agreed to private alternative dispute resolution (ADR) 30 days after the close of discovery.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
Significance
The case is one of the highest-profile AI copyright cases, involving direct allegations that a major image generation AI was trained on millions of copyrighted images without authorization. The court's decision to allow the core copyright claims to survive the motion to dismiss stage is a significant win for copyright holders, as it means the case will proceed to discovery and potentially to trial.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
See Also
- April 24, 2026 — Getty Images Survives Motion to Dismiss
- Kadrey v Meta Platforms Inc — Another AI copyright training case
- Cases — Active AI litigation tracker
References
<references />