Who Owns the Photos from a Photoshoot?
Jennifer Lopez sued in copyright case for posting photos of herself Jennifer Lopez was sued for posting paparazzi photos of herself on social media without permission from the photographers who took them. The photographers, Edwin Blanco and Backgrid agency, said they owned the rights to the photos even though Lopez was the subject of the photographs. Lopez attended a Vanity Fair and Amazon MGM Studios party the night before the Golden Globes The photographers claim that Lopez did not have the right to post those photos online. Even though the subject of the photograph is JLo herself, the copyright in the photograph is held by the photographer or agency, not her—so posting the photos without permission can break copyright law. This case highlights a key principle in copyright law: while individuals have rights to their own likeness (portrait rights), the actual copyright of a photograph belongs to the photographer who created it. The photographers argued that Lopez's use of their im...