Freelance & Business
UK High Court largely rules for Stability AI in Getty Images case
In November 2025 the court rejected Getty’s secondary copyright claim; Getty has since been given permission to appeal.
Done withSDStable Diffusion
Law-firm summary, not the judgment
WHAT HAPPENED
In November 2025 the UK High Court ruled on Getty Images’ case against Stability AI. Getty dropped its primary infringement claims during the trial and the court dismissed its secondary copyright claim. Some trade mark claims succeeded, which the judge described as extremely limited.
WHAT IT MEANS
Because Getty dropped its main claims, the ruling covers a narrower case than the original dispute. The summary we read doesn’t discuss what it means for AI training more broadly.
WORTH KNOWING
Getty was given permission to appeal the secondary copyright ruling (reported January 2026); Stability was refused permission on the trade mark points. No Court of Appeal judgment was found when checked on 20 October 2026. A UK decision isn’t binding elsewhere.
Rates the entry, not the tool.
Source: Cleary Gottlieb · Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton · Nov 6, 2025Open as a page
About this source
Type: Report or documentation
- UK High Court issues landmark ruling in Getty Images v. Stability AI
Cleary Gottlieb · Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton · Published Nov 6, 2025 · Checked Oct 20, 2026 - High Court grants permission to appeal in Getty Images v Stability AI
Wiggin LLP · Wiggin LLP · Published Jan 19, 2026 · Checked Oct 20, 2026
Secondary source.
Access: Page text was read during research.
Source check: Spot-checked by the 4TC build team on Oct 20, 2026. Re-read the law-firm summary and added a second firm’s report on the appeal. An earlier draft wrongly said Stability had been given permission to appeal; it was Getty. Nobody at 4TC has tested this.
Claims and where they come from
- Judgment handed down on 4 November 2025 by Mrs Justice Joanna Smith (documented) [1]
- Getty dropped its primary infringement claims during trial; its secondary copyright claims were dismissed (documented) [1]
- Some trade mark claims succeeded, which the judge described as extremely limited in scope (documented) [1]
- Getty was granted permission to appeal the secondary copyright ruling; Stability was refused permission to appeal the trade mark findings (reported) [2]
4TC interpretation
Our reading, not something the source says.
Designers who license or sell images, or whose work may sit in training sets, should know what this ruling did and did not decide.
Designer impact
A UK first-instance ruling on a narrowed case. It doesn't settle whether training AI on copyrighted images is lawful, and it isn't binding in the US or elsewhere.
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Added to 4TC Oct 20, 2026 · Last checked Oct 20, 2026
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