Jennifer Lopez Sued For Posting A Picture Of Herself

Mega-star Jennifer Lopez is being sued in a federal law suit after allegedly posting two photos to socials taken by paparazzi without securing the proper copyright licenses.

via: The Blast

The dispute centers around images taken before the 2025 Golden Globe Awards and shared on her Instagram and Twitter accounts.

On Saturday, May 17, photographer Edwin Blanco and photo agency BackGrid USA filed two federal lawsuits against Jennifer Lopez.

They claim to co-own images of Lopez standing outside the Amazon MGM Studios x Vanity Fair Party at Los Angeles’ Bar Marmont on January 4, the night before the Golden Globe Awards.

According to attorney Peter Perkowski, representing Blanco and BackGrid, Lopez posted the pictures the following day, on January 5, to both Instagram and X without permission. The alleged copyright breach triggered a wave of reposts by fan pages and fashion brands.

“Ms. Lopez’s unauthorized use of the Images is commercial in nature, intended for the purpose of self-promotion,” wrote Perkowski per Billboard. “For example, Ms. Lopez used the images to spotlight the designer of her clothing and jewelry, leveraging the publicity from the event to promote her fashion affiliations and brand partnerships.”

Perkowski revealed that BackGrid and Blanco reached out to Lopez’s team the week after the alleged infringement to address the situation.

Discussions reportedly went well, and the parties verbally agreed to a financial settlement. However, Lopez’s side never finalized the deal in writing or made any payment.

The lawsuits also emphasized that this isn’t the first time Lopez has faced similar claims.

In 2019, she was sued for posting a paparazzi photo featuring herself and then-boyfriend Alex Rodriguez.

That case, also handled by Perkowski, ended in a voluntary dismissal in 2020.

“This prior litigation placed Ms. Lopez on notice regarding the legal requirements and potential consequences associated with the use of copyrighted images without proper authorization,” Perkowski wrote. “Despite this, Ms. Lopez has continued to engage in similar conduct, demonstrating a willful disregard for BackGrid’s copyrights through a pattern of behavior that undermines the rights of content creators.”

The plaintiffs accused Jennifer Lopez of willful copyright infringement, which could result in damages of up to $150,000 per image.

If the lawsuit succeeds, the actress would have to pay $300,000 for posting her own image.

As of Monday, Lopez’s representatives had not responded to the lawsuit.

Fans may find it odd that celebrities are sued over their photos, but the law is on the plaintiff's side.

Stars like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Dua Lipa have all faced similar lawsuits in recent years.

Under U.S. copyright law, the photographer, not the person in the photo, owns the rights to an image.

This means celebrities can be sued for posting paparazzi photos of themselves on social media without permission.

Even if the celebrities are the sole subject of the photo, they have no legal right to use it without a license. Hence, taking or posting such images without consent is considered copyright infringement.

Additionally, being in a public place does not exempt someone from being photographed, nor gives them control over the image.

If infringement is proven, the celebrity may owe either actual or statutory damages, up to $150,000 per photo.

Most cases, however, settle out of court for smaller amounts.