Jennifer Lopez sued for posting photos of herself without permission

Jennifer Lopez is currently facing a lawsuit over the unauthorized use of photographs taken at a recent Hollywood event.

The singer and actress shared images of herself arriving at the Amazon MGM Studios and Vanity Fair Party in Los Angeles, held the night before this year’s Golden Globes in January.

Photographer Edwin Blanco and the paparazzi agency Backgrid, for whom Blanco works, have each filed separate lawsuits claiming copyright ownership of two specific photos. They argue that Lopez used these images "to promote Ms Lopez's public appearances, boost user engagement, increase shareability, and lend credibility to her branded content."

Backgrid and Blanco are seeking damages of up to USD 150,000 per photo.

The photographs in question show Lopez dressed in a white gown and a white faux fur coat outside the Chateau Marmont venue. She posted the images on Instagram and X under the caption "GG Weekend Glamour," and the photos were subsequently circulated widely by fan and fashion accounts.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo)

The lawsuits state, "Ms Lopez's unauthorised use of the Images is commercial in nature, intended for the purpose of self-promotion. For example, Ms Lopez used the Images to spotlight the designer of her clothing and jewellery, leveraging the publicity from the event to promote her fashion affiliations and brand partnerships."

Under copyright law, the rights to photographs belong to the photographer or the agency, not the subjects in the images. They control how the photos are used and can demand licensing fees for their distribution.

According to legal filings, Backgrid and Blanco reached out to Lopez’s representatives after the photos were posted, reportedly agreeing on a payment deal. However, Lopez has not yet signed the agreement.

This is not Lopez’s first legal dispute over image rights; she faced similar lawsuits in 2019 and 2020 for sharing photos taken by others. Other high-profile celebrities, such as Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, and Khloe Kardashian, have also been involved in comparable copyright infringement cases.