Curious about why Jennifer Lopez is being sued again, and how paparazzi photos ignited a legal battle? The pop icon has found herself at the center of yet another copyright infringement controversy, and this time, it involves two professional photographers who claim she used the images without permission.
Jennifer Lopez gets sued by paparazzi over sharing photos of herself
Jennifer Lopez sued once again, and this time it is for allegedly posting two paparazzi photos to her social media without securing proper licensing rights.
The images, taken outside the Amazon MGM Studios x Vanity Fair Golden Globes pre-party at LA’s Bar Marmont on January 4, became the basis of two separate lawsuits filed on May 17 by photographer Edwin Blanco and the photo agency BackGrid USA.
According to the complaint, Lopez put herself into hot water by uploading the pictures to her Instagram and X accounts the following day without authorization. The lawsuit claims that her post triggered reposts by fan pages and even fashion brands. This includes the designer of the faux fur coat she was wearing in the photos.
Attorney Peter Perkowski, representing Blanco and BackGrid, stated that Lopez’s use of the images served a promotional purpose. The “unauthorized use of the Images is commercial in nature,” he explained. He argues that Jennifer Lopez leveraged the event’s exposure to boost her fashion affiliations and brand deals. (via Billboard)
The legal filings reveal that BackGrid and Blanco’s reps reached out to Lopez’s team shortly after the incident. While they initially reached a verbal settlement, Lopez allegedly failed to sign a written agreement or follow through with the payment.
This isn’t the first time Jennifer Lopez has been sued for copyright infringement. In 2019, she faced similar legal action for posting a paparazzi photo with her then-partner Alex Rodriguez. That case was dismissed voluntarily, but Perkowski argues it should have served as a warning.
He further claims that Lopez has shown a “willful disregard” for the copyright act. This allows for damages of up to $150,000 per photo. As of now, neither Jennifer Lopez nor her representatives have publicly responded.
Originally reported by Harshika Bhatia on ComingSoon.
