Jennifer Lopez used a photo on Instagram and now she is being sued.
E! News was able to obtain some court documents stating that Steve Sands, a New York photographer, is suing Lopez as well as her production company Nuyorican Productions for copyright infringement. In addition, he is seeking $150,000 in damages.
According to the federal lawsuit, Lopez used the photo taken of her by the photographer in promoting their brand on Instagram without seeking permission to post the photo or to give compensation for it.
The singer has more than 119 million followers on the said social media platform. The photo taken by Sands has received more than 656,000 likes since it was posted last July 22, 2017.
Based on the lawsuit, the defendants did not license the said picture from the plaintiff to be used for its website. In addition, the defendants didn’t have any permission or consent to publish the said photo. The court documents stated that the New York photographer is entitled to statutory damages per work infringed which amounts up to $150,000.
According to lawyer Richard Liebowitz, the lawsuit was filed in federal court of Manhattan. He said that this is an example of celebrities who use photos taken by photographers without asking for their permission before posting them on social media. He added that the number of followers and likes received by the celebrity is one they can commercialize their posts.
Last October 2019, Lopez was also sued $150,000 after posting a photo of Alex Rodriguez in her Instagram Story in 2017. Splash News and Picture Agency claimed that they are the sole owners and exclusive copyright holder of the photo which shows the singer holding hands with Rodriguez while they were out in New York City.
- Advertisement -Also earlier this year, Samantha Barbash who inspired the actress’ character, Ramona, in the movie Hustlers, sued her and her production for $40 million. The Blast has obtained court documents that states Barbash was approached by the film producers before their production to get a consent waiver from her and at the same time for their ultimate portrayal of her. However, she refused to sign the consent as well as to waive her rights.
