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NLJ this week: AI art, copyright law & the creative clash

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Writing in NLJ this week, Ben Travers of Foot Anstey examines the unresolved legal tensions at the heart of AI-generated content, following the high-profile Getty v Stability AI case. Although the primary copyright claim was dropped, Travers argues the core issues remain: can AI be trained on copyrighted material without permission, and who owns the output?

He notes that while IP law has adapted to past tech shifts—from VCRs to streaming—it now faces a new challenge: users increasingly see AI as a creative partner, not just a tool. This raises questions about authorship, infringement, and whether existing frameworks—designed for human creators—can cope.

Travers warns that users may unwittingly cede rights, echoing early social media missteps. As governments seek to balance innovation with protection, Travers calls for legal clarity on how copyright applies to AI training, output, and liability—before the creative landscape is reshaped beyond recognition.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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