Microsoft removes Bing Image Widget in wake of Getty Images lawsuit

Microsoft has removed access to its Bing Image Widget for websites in the wake of a lawsuit filed against the company last week by Getty Images, who claimed the widget violates the copyrights on the photos it owns.

The Bing Image Widget, which launched in August, allows websites to place a panel on their pages that shows images from the Internet found by Microsoft's Bing search engine. However, Getty Images claims that widget will allow websites to place copyrighted images from its service on their pages without permission.

In a statement to Re/code, Microsoft said, "We have temporarily removed the Bing Image Widget beta so we can take time to talk with Getty Images and better understand its concerns." There's no word if Getty Images will drop its lawsuit as a result of Microsoft's actions. What do you think of this development in this case?

Source: Re/code

John Callaham