News Getty Images Stability AI Ruling 2026
April 24, 2026 — Judge Thompson Denies Most of Stability AI Motion to Dismiss in Getty Images Copyright Suit
Judge Trina Thompson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied most of Stability AITemplate:'s motion to dismiss Getty ImagesTemplate:' copyright infringement complaint, allowing the bulk of Getty's claims to proceed to discovery and trial.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty">ChatGPT is Eating the World, "Getty Images mostly wins, surviving motion to dismiss claims except for DMCA CMI claim. But can amend that claim in light of Judge Thompson's ruling," April 2026</ref>
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" />
However, Judge Thompson's ruling permits Getty Images to amend its DMCA CMI claim in light of the court's analysis, meaning Getty may refile this claim with additional factual allegations supporting intentional removal.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
Background
Getty Images filed its lawsuit against Stability AI alleging that Stable Diffusion was trained on millions of Getty's copyrighted images without authorization, and that the AI system reproduces modified versions of Getty's content. The case was subsequently transferred from the District of Delaware to the Northern District of California.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
Significance
The ruling is a significant win for copyright holders in AI training cases, as it allows the core copyright infringement claims to proceed past the motion-to-dismiss stage. The case will now move into discovery, where Getty will seek evidence about Stability AI's training data and practices. The court's narrowing of the DMCA CMI claim also provides guidance on the specific intent standard required under Section 1202(a) in the AI training context.<ref name="chatgptiseatingtheworld-getty" />
See Also
- Cases — Active AI litigation tracker
References
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