Getty Images filed a Delaware lawsuit against Stability AI alleging massive unauthorized copying of its images and metadata to train Stable Diffusion, arguing the practice dilutes trademarks and harms brand value. The filing showcases numerous generated images featuring degraded quality, distorted anatomy, and even altered Getty watermarks to illustrate alleged infringements. Getty asserts it licenses its assets under controlled terms and that AI training should require permission and compensation. The case mirrors a broader wave of copyright and trademark disputes surrounding AI image generators, with parallel actions in the UK and against other platforms. A resolution could influence how tech companies access licensed visual content for AI development and how rights holders guard their catalogs going forward.
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Getty Images alleges Stability AI copied more than 12 million photographs along with captions and metadata from Getty's collection without permission, aiming to compete using the same assets.
The lawsuit, filed in Delaware and reported to The Verge, includes AI-generated images that depict distorted anatomy and even a warped Getty watermark, underscoring the quality and branding concerns raised.
Getty contends that incorporating Getty’s marks into low-quality or offensive AI images constitutes trademark dilution and violates federal and state trademark laws.
The filing emphasizes Getty's safeguards and licensing framework, noting that it licenses millions of digital assets to tech innovators for AI and ML development under appropriate terms.
The action follows Getty’s prior announcement of a UK lawsuit against Stability AI, and it sits within a wider wave of lawsuits against AI image generators like Midjourney and DeviantArt, challenging training practices and rights handling.