A hot potato: Google recently expanded availability of its Gemini 2.0 Flash model to more developers, and it didn't take long for folks to unearth its powerful capabilities. One of its abilities is so impressive that Google might have to nerf it in order to avoid future legal action. Social media is abuzz with Gemini 2.0 Flash's ability to remove watermarks from licensed work, a practice that is deemed illegal by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Such images litter stock photography services although in many cases, an identifying logo, text, or pattern is used to discourage unauthorized use. If you want the rights to an unaltered image without any watermarks, you will need to pay for a license.Watermarks have been around in the digital imaging space for decades, and people have been erasing them for years. Originally, this was something that was done manually using an image editing program and could take a lot of time. Eventually, programs and online services emerged that automated the process although results could vary wildly.Early examples of Gemini 2.0 Flash's capabilities shared online, however, are among the most impressive we have seen to date from an automated service. Not every instance is flawless, but many are very passable. Some are now wondering if they are too good, and if Google will end up removing the feature over fear that it might attract a lawsuit from a major player like Getty Images, which recently purchased rival stock media provider Shutterstock for $3.7 billion.As TechCrunch highlights, others in the AI space have previously reached this fork in the road and acted on it. For example, OpenAI's GPT-4o and Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet will flat out refuse to remove certain watermarks from images when asked.The good news for Google is that it's still early days, and this version of Gemini 2.0 Flash is considered experimental. One would think that designation would give Google time to make any necessary changes without facing too much trouble in court.