A recent UK High Court ruling against Getty Images has exposed the perceived inadequacy of existing copyright law to protect creative works from artificial intelligence companies.
The court decided on November 5, 2025, in favor of Stability AI, an AI development firm, against a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Getty Images. This outcome is widely viewed as detrimental to the exclusive rights of copyright holders to benefit from their creations.
Rebecca Newman, legal director at the international law firm Addleshaw Goddard, cautioned that the decision highlights a “sub-par UK copyright regime.” She said it is not robust enough to adequately safeguard creative works.
Getty Images had initiated the lawsuit in June 2025, accusing UK-based Stability AI, which lists Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron as a director, of copying and reproducing millions of its photographs.
The High Court ruling led Getty Images to withdraw its primary copyright infringement claim. This was due to a lack of evidence that Stability AI’s model training occurred within the United Kingdom.
Judge Joanna Smith acknowledged the “truly socially important” question of balancing the interests of creative industries with those of the AI sector. However, she emphasized her role was limited to adjudicating “relatively limited claims” presented to the court.
Getty Images also made a secondary claim. It argued that even if trained elsewhere, bringing the AI model for use in the UK constituted importing infringing articles.
Judge Smith rejected this argument. She ruled that an AI model does not inherently contain or store copies of Getty Images’ photographs. Therefore, the model itself cannot be considered an “infringing article.”
Getty Images has stated it intends to continue pursuing other claims, asserting that Stability AI still uses copies of its visual assets within its systems.
The ruling occurs amidst a broader societal debate on how the Labour government should regulate copyright in the era of AI.
Leading artists and writers, including Elton John, Kate Bush, Dua Lipa, and Kazuo Ishiguro, have called for stronger protections. Conversely, technology companies advocate for broader access to copyrighted material to train advanced generative AI systems.
The government is currently consulting on copyright and AI, acknowledging that “uncertainty in the copyright framework is holding back the growth of our AI and creative industries.”
One proposed solution under consideration is introducing a “Text and Data Mining Exception” into UK copyright law. This would permit the use of copyrighted works for AI model training within the UK, unless rights holders explicitly opt out.
The High Court’s decision between Getty Images and Stability AI is expected to significantly influence practices for both human creators and AI companies. It will serve as a critical case study, demonstrating AI firms’ ability to prevail in copyright disputes concerning human-generated works, potentially fueling further debate and future legal changes.