Copyright Claim Survives as Judge Trims Artists’ AI Lawsuit

Stability AI Ltd., Midjourney Inc., and DeviantArt Inc. escaped large portions of a lawsuit alleging their generative AI art products violate copyright law, but the visual artists behind the suit will get another shot at advancing their claims.

The lawsuit filed by cartoonist Sarah Andersen and artists Kelly McKernan and Karla Ortiz “is defective in numerous respects,” but the artists can amend their complaint “to provide clarity regarding their theories of how each defendant separately violated their copyrights,” Judge William H. Orrick wrote in the Monday opinion.

Orrick’s decision was largely expected after he told the parties how he ...