A hot potato: Google recently expanded the availability of its Gemini 2.0 flash model for more developers, and it did not take long for people to find out their new abilities. One of its ability to remove watermark from stock images is so impressive that Google may have to Nerf to avoid future legal action.
Social media is with the ability to remove watermarks from licensed work with a capacity of Gemini 2.0 flash, a practice that is considered illegal by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Such images litter stock photography services although in many cases, an identity logo, text or pattern is used to discourage unauthorized use. If you want an unlocked image rights without any watermark, you will have to pay for the license.
Watermarks have been around in digital imaging space for decades, and people have been erasing them for years. Originally, it was something that was manually done using an image editing program and could take a lot of time. Eventually, programs and online services were revealed that this process was automatically carried out, although the results could vary wildly.
New skill unlocked: Gemini 2 Flash Model Images Really great to remove watermark! pic.twitter.com/6qik0flfcv
– Dedi (@Deedydas) March 15, 2025
Early examples of the abilities of Gemini 2.0 flash were shared online, however, the most impressive we have seen from an automatic service to date. Not every example is innocent, but many are very passive. Some are now wondering if they are very good, and if Google will remove the convenience on the fear that it can attract a lawsuit from a prominent player such as a getty image, who recently bought rival stock media provider Shuttersk for $ 3.7 billion.
In the form of Techcrunch Highlights, other people in AI space have reached this fork and worked on it. For example, Openai’s GPT-4O and Anthropic’s Cloud 3.7 Sonnet refused to remove some watermarks from images when asked.
The good news for Google is that it is still an early day, and this version of Gemini 2.0 flash is considered experimental. Someone thinks that the designation will give Google time to make any necessary changes without facing a lot of trouble in the court.
