A photographer and photo agency filed a lawsuit against Jennifer Lopez alleging copyright infringement after the actor and singer allegedly posted copyrighted photos of herself from a pre-Golden Globes party to social media.
In the complaint, filed Saturday in federal court, photographer Edwin Blanco accuses Lopez of posting photos of her arriving and departing from the January event on Instagram and X without permission. Backgrid USA, a news and photo agency, filed a twin suit related to the same photographs, which the company and Blanco co-own, according to court documents.
The photos, which as of Tuesday remained on her Instagram and X with no visible watermark, show her in white fur coat and slip dress, clutching a Chanel purse. The post on Instagram is captioned “Weekend Glamour.”
A representative for Lopez did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday.
The lawsuit alleges that the “Let’s Get Loud” singer posted the photos to market designers she wore at the event. Blanco and Backgrid did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. But in a statement to Billboard, attorney Peter Perkowski, who represents Blanco and Backgrid, claims that Lopez’s use was “commercial in nature.”
“For example, Ms. Lopez used the images to spotlight the designer of her clothing and jewelry,” he told Billboard. “Leveraging the publicity from the event to promote her fashion affiliations and brand partnerships.”
He also told the outlet that both parties had “fruitful discussions” in the weeks after the photos were posted, with Lopez’s team orally agreeing to a monetary settlement. But when the papers arrived, Perkowski says she didn’t sign them and has not yet paid the agreed sum.
Backgrid and Blanco are seeking statutory damages up to $150,000 for each photo used as well as a jury trial, according to the lawsuit.
Lopez faced legal action in 2019 and 2020 for allegedly sharing photos of her taken by others. In 2020, her production company Nuyorican Productions was also sued for $40 million by a woman who inspired Lopez’s character in the film “Hustlers.”
