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The agreement permits research use of Core Models under the Community License at no cost regardless of organizational revenue, but states that research use that will be incorporated into a commercial product or service triggers a registration requirement with Stability AI and may require an Enterprise License if the applicable organization's annual revenue exceeds $1 million.
This analysis describes what Stability AI's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
This provision creates a registration obligation for researchers at large organizations whose research will be commercialized, and the commercial purpose trigger applies based on the intended downstream use of the research rather than the nature of the research itself.
Interpretive note: The document does not define 'commercial purpose' with precision, and the boundary between research use and commercially-intended research may require case-by-case assessment, particularly for technology transfer and sponsored research contexts.
Researchers using Core Models for purely non-commercial research purposes may do so under the Community License regardless of their organization's revenue. The agreement requires researchers to register with Stability AI when their research using Core Models will be applied to commercial products or services, and may require an Enterprise License if the relevant organization's annual revenue exceeds $1 million.
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"If you use Stability AI's models for research purposes only, this falls within the Community License and you don't need to pay, regardless of the amount of revenue generated by your organization. However, if a Core Model, or a Derivative Work thereof, is utilized in your research, and that research will be used for a commercial purpose (i.e., within a product or service), you must register with Stability AI and may also need to obtain a paid Enterprise License if the annual revenue of your organization, or the organization(s) performing the commercial use, exceeds $1M.Excerpt from Stability AI's Model License
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: This provision engages standard research exemption frameworks common in software and model licensing. In regulated sectors such as healthcare, finance, or defense, the commercial purpose trigger may interact with sector-specific AI governance requirements, including the EU AI Act's provisions on general-purpose AI models used in high-risk applications. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The distinction between pure research use and research destined for commercial application requires ongoing monitoring and internal classification by research teams. The registration requirement for commercially-intended research creates an administrative compliance obligation that may not be immediately apparent to researchers at large organizations. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: Academic institutions and research organizations in the EU may face additional considerations under the EU AI Act if their research outputs are incorporated into AI systems subject to high-risk classification. The commercial purpose trigger may create compliance obligations for publicly funded research institutions that commercialize outputs through technology transfer or licensing. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Research agreements, technology transfer agreements, and sponsored research contracts involving Stability AI Core Models should address the commercial purpose trigger and include provisions allocating responsibility for license compliance and registration obligations. Sponsored research contracts where the sponsor intends to commercialize results should be specifically reviewed. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Research institutions and corporate R&D teams should establish internal classification processes to identify when research using Core Models is intended for commercial application, triggering the registration requirement. Compliance teams should document the basis for classifying specific research projects as purely non-commercial to support the research exemption claim.
This provision creates a registration obligation for researchers at large organizations whose research will be commercialized, and the commercial purpose trigger applies based on the intended downstream use of the research rather than the nature of the research itself.
Researchers using Core Models for purely non-commercial research purposes may do so under the Community License regardless of their organization's revenue. The agreement requires researchers to register with Stability AI when their research using Core Models will be applied to commercial products or services, and may require an Enterprise License if the relevant organization's annual revenue exceeds $1 million.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Stability AI.