Getty Images Accuses Microsoft of Massive Copyright Infringement

Getty Images, a stock photos company, has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft. According to Getty Images, Microsoft’s Bing Image widget, which can be placed as an embedded object on websites, is infringing on its image rights on a large scale.

The Bing Image widget, released by Microsoft last month, displays keyword-based images from the search engine of the same name. However, according to Getty Images, Microsoft draws from a library of images, many of which are copyrighted. A significant portion of the images would also be owned by Getty Images, the company claims.

It is not yet clear how much compensation Getty Images will receive from Microsoft; the company says it is still working on a calculation, but Getty Images claims that the widget is already widely used on the internet. A Microsoft spokesperson told Reuters that it takes copyright issues seriously and will look into the matter surrounding the Bing Image widget.