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IP 2025 developments and 2026 outlook: AI and copyright (Getty v Stability AI), designs reform, trade marks post-sale confusion, patents plausibility, SEPs and SPCs, One IPO and fee rises

Published on: 28 January 2026

Published by a LexisNexis IP expert
Legal News
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Article summary

For detailed updates on key IP developments, see these Practice Notes:

  • Patents tracker—UK
  • Trade marks tracker—UK
  • Designs tracker—UK
  • Copyright and databases tracker—UK
  • ‘One IPO’ transformation programme—tracker
  • DABUS AI patent proceedings—tracker
  • Copyright and AI training—international tracker

For EU developments, refer to News Analysis: EU Law—key developments in 2025 and horizon scanning for 2026. Ongoing updates and commentary are available via our current awareness alerts and highlights. Select ‘Create Alert’ in your ‘Alerts’ tab and adjust your personal preferences to subscribe.

Copyright

What were the key developments in 2025?

Getty Images v Stability AI

On 4 November 2025, the High Court handed down its decision in Getty Images (US) Inc and others v Stability AI [2025] EWHC 2863 (Ch), the first English judgment addressing generative AI. Getty Images, a major online marketplace for photographs, pursued claims of copyright and trade mark infringement against Stability AI, the developer of the image GenAI system ‘Stable Diffusion’...

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