Stable Diffusion’s Shallow Victory Over Getty Images in the UK - DTNS 5139

Apple might soon introduce low cost laptops to go head to head with ChromeBooks, and TikTok announced its first US awards show for recognizing excellent creators on its platform.

Starring Jason Howell and Tom Merritt.

JASON: This is the Daily Tech News for Tuesday, November 4th, 2025. We tell you what you need to know, give you the important context, and help each other understand.

TOM: Today Stable Diffusion comes out ahead of Getty Images in the UK but does it set any precedent?

I’m Jason Howell,

I’m Tom Merritt.

JASON: Let’s start with what you need to know with the big story.

BIG STORY

Getty Images largely loses landmark UK lawsuit over AI image generator
Creative groups fail to secure UK legal precedent in Getty AI copyright case

JASON: Getty Images lost its UK lawsuit against Stability AI, mostly. The lawsuit centered on claims of primary copyright infringement, secondary copyright infringement, and trademark infringement. Getty dropped the main copyright argument during the trial as it was unable to prove Stable Diffusion was trained on Getty images in the UK. It also could not prove that SD was able to reproduce exact images from its catalog.

Judge Joanna Smith found Getty's trademark was infringed in some AI outputs that included Getty's watermark, but called the impact "historic and extremely limited." The judge dismissed secondary copyright claims, ruling that because Stable Diffusion’s model does not store or reproduce full works, it doesn’t create infringing copies.

Getty is also pursuing legal action against Stability AI in the US.

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JASON: There’s more we need to know today, let’s get to the briefs.

BRIEFS

Apple (AAPL) Preps Low-Cost Laptop to Rival Chromebooks and Windows PCs — Bloomberg
TOM: No, it's not Sunday, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has an Apple leak for us anyway. Gurman's extremely reliable sources tell him that Apple is working on a budget MacBook, codenamed J700, that runs on an A-series processor, the same ones used in iPhones and iPads. Apparently, it's targeted at the ChromeBook crowd, people who browse the web, and do light document and media editing. The sources say the idea is to launch it in the first half of next year for less than $1000.

Apple launches rich new web interface for the App Store
Apple Releases 26.1 Updates to Its Operating Systems
JASON: Apple introduced a front end for a web-based App Store that allows users to browse the store's full directory with no need to launch the standalone app like before. The site has pages for all of Apple's major devices and app categories. The site also includes an updated "Today" tab that iPhone users will recognize. And there’s Search, so you don't have to turn to Google search results to get to an app's product page like before.

Apple also released version 26.1 of its full family of operating systems. iOS and iPadOS 26.1 introduce a Tinted Liquid Glass option to improve readability. MacOS Tahoe also gets the Tinted treatment. You can now deactivate swipe left on the lock screen to open the camera. iPadOS brings back Slide Over with resizable windows and new window management options.

WhatsApp launches long-awaited Apple Watch app
TOM: WhatsApp launched its Apple Watch app after being outed last week by WABetaInfo. With the new app, users can read messages, get call notifications, and send voice recordings directly from their watch. The app also includes reactions, chat history access, and a clearer, more tailored display of images and stickers. The new app requires Apple Watch Series 4 or newer running watchOS 10.

Coca-Cola Injects ‘Holidays Are Coming’ Ads With an Upgraded Dose of AI
JASON: Coca-Cola released its holiday ads, and like last year, they are leaning into the use of generative AI with some modifications on one of them. Last year's ad was heavily criticized by professional creatives for the use of generative AI and oddities in the output like the uncanny valley of human models and wheels that weren't actually turning on vehicles. This time around, with the "Holidays Are Coming" ads, Coca-Cola has put animals in place of humans and kept human faces off-screen—except for Santa. The commercials are created with studios Silverside AI and Secret Level and the company says it took around a month to produce, as opposed to a year for ads that were done with more traditional techniques and talent. Coca-Cola says it still involves around 100 people, but only five AI specialists produced more than 70,000 clips.

TikTok announces its first-ever awards show in the US
TOM: TikTok is set to host its first-ever US awards show on December 18 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. There will be a live stream on TikTok, and a recording of the event will be available for next-day streaming on Tubi. The event will feature a red carpet (of course) for those arriving, and awards for categories like Creator of the Year, Breakthrough Artist, Video of the Year, and Muse of the Year. Users of TikTok will be able to vote for their choices in a voting portal that will be offered on the platform starting November 18. (TikTok has hosted awards in Germany, Mexico, Korea, and elsewhere before.)

JASON: And finally, some quick headlines that are just good to know if you want to understand the news in the future.

Samsung's tri-fold smartphone gets Bluetooth certified, revealing wide global launch plans
TOM: Samsung's tri-fold smartphone is now one critical step closer to release as the device has now been spotted in the Bluetooth SIG's certification database.

Amazon is building Alexa Plus into its Music app
JASON: Amazon is rolling out Alexa Plus in the Amazon Music app for Alexa Plus Early Access beta users with enhanced song identification, vibe-driven playlists, and deeper conversational insights into library tracks.

Microsoft gives passkeys an Edge
TOM: Microsoft Edge now lets Windows users store and sync Passkeys in the Microsoft Password Manager, linked to the user’s Microsoft account.

China offers tech giants cheap power to boost domestic AI chips
JASON: Local governments in data centre-heavy Chinese provinces like Gansu, Guizhou, and Inner Mongolia have increased subsidies that cut energy bills by up to half for some of the country’s largest data centres, including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent.

Waymo is launching in three new cities next year
TOM: Waymo will launch its autonomous taxi service in San Diego, Las Vegas, and Detroit in 2026 with vehicles starting to map those locations "soon."

Nintendo expects to sell way more Switch 2s than it thought
JASON: Nintendo is selling a lot of Switch 2s! The company boosted its Switch 2 sales forecast for the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, from 15 million units to 19 million units, which would make it better-selling than the original Switch in its first year.

Apple TV’s new name now comes with a new sound
Watch on YouTube
TOM: One month after Apple announced it would change Apple TV Plus to be called just Apple TV, we have a new sound that you will hear attached to most Apple TV content, produced by Finneas, Billie Eilish’s brother. Let’s hear them.

TOM: Join in the conversation in our Discord, which you can join by linking to a Patreon account at patreon.com/dtns

HELPING EACH OTHER UNDERSTAND

JASON: We end every episode of DTNS with some shared wisdom. Today Cory and TJ have some info and thoughts to add.

TOM: Cory writes:
Your readers may appreciate the tip that there are minimal, uncomplicated Note taking apps out there. I use Standard Notes, a part of the Proton extended universe. It does just a few things, does them well, and stays out of your way. Strong E2EE, publicly available test and audit results, with apps for Windows, Mac, and Linux. I find it clean, reliable, and under-appreciated. The simple software revolution is already under way!

Love the show!
– Cory

JASON: And then TJ added
Am I the only one who, every time I hear a story about AI and how much more power is needed for it, immediately thinks of The Matrix?

Are we heading in that direction?

Mostly kidding, but there is that little tiny lingering doubt…
Regards,
TJ

TOM: What are you thinking about? Got some insight into a story? Share it with us — feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com

JASON: Thanks to Cory and TJ for contributing to today’s show. And thank YOU for being along for Daily Tech News Show. You can keep us in business by becoming a patron atPatreon.com/dtns.