Dua Lipa could pay over $150,000 or P7M for posting her own paparazzi photo. Here’s why that actually happens
Artist Dua Lipa is being sued for over $150,000 (P7.5 million) in damages for sharing a paparazzi photo of herself.
The case is brought by paparazzi company Integral Images Inc, which claims that the British star violated copyright infringement by posting a 2019 shot of herself walking in an airport “without permission or authorization.”
In the eight-page complaint, the company explained that Dua uses her social media for monetization, thus they deserve compensation for the photo. “The Account is monetized in that it contains content designed to accumulate followers who are directed to, via link and/or advertisement, consume and purchase Defendant’s content, Defendant profits from these activities.”
The Levitating singer wouldn't be the first to receive this kind of lawsuit. Fellow stars Justin Bieber, Liam Hemsworth, Gigi Hadid, and Jenifer Lopez have faced similar charges in the past.
Ariana Grande has been sued twice for posting candid paparazzi shots of herself, as she's gone on to pay over $50,000 (P2.6 million) to settle the charges.
Despite the irony of getting sued for posting a picture of yourself, it still stands as a reasonable court offense in the celebrity world. In an interview with Buzzfeed News, entertainment lawyer Bryan Sullivan shared that LA courts often side with the paparazzi.
"The photographer owns the copyright to the photograph; it doesn’t matter who is in it. The subject of the photo doesn’t have any rights to the picture as long as it was taken in a public place," Sullivan explained.
Still, celebrities have spoken out against the policy, as it can be a hard line to draw when they're literally just posting themselves on social media. Kim Kardashian has even gone on to hire her own team to take candid photos of her out and about.
Yes!! I have to license some of the images first. A paparazzi sued me in the past for reposting an image of MYSELF. So now it just takes me a little longer because I have to go and license the images so they don’t get my ? MAKES NO SENSE. https://t.co/GNUWUWUxZl
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) August 19, 2018
Btw since the paparazzi agencies won’t allow the fans to repost, all of my pics are taken by my own photog and you guys can always repost whatever you want ❤️ If I ever post from an agency I will tag them and I have permission. So those please don’t repost!
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 7, 2019
What do you think of these types of lawsuits?
Photos from Dua Lipa's Instagram account