Brad D. Rose, head of the firm's Intellectual Property group, was recently interviewed by Law360′s Bill Donahue on recent lawsuits where celebrities have been getting sued for posting images of themselves that were technically owned by photographers and paparazzi.
As Donahue notes in his article, while "it might seem unfair to someone who is hounded by invasive paparazzi, but the rights to celebrity photos are usually retained solely by the photographer who took them — and simply being featured in an image does not grant someone a right to use it."
In response, Rose noted that:
"The relationship between paparazzi and celebrities has been strained for many years, given the aggressive tactics that many in the paparazzo corps utilize. To add insult to injury, if the celebrity sees one of these photos and publicly exploits it, absent certain defenses being available, they could get sued."
The full article can be accessed here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
