A celebrity photography agency, Splash News and Picture Agency has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Liam Hemsworth alleging copyright infringement.
The plaintiff alleges that the Australian actor used one of its photographs to promote a new film, “Isn’t It Romantic” without a licence and posted on his Instagram page on July 15, 2018 ahead of the film’s release in February 2019.
The plaintiff reportedly said that they own the photograph and its protected by a copyright registration at the U.S. Copyright Office.
The plaintiff reportedly said that the defendant’s tags on the image led users to the Instagram account for the film while also posting the image on his Instagram story twice with a swipe up feature to allow his 13 million followers to vote for the movie for the American Teen Choice Movie Awards.
Splash News reportedly said that its photographs are usually licensed including the Daily Mail and stand to gain financial profit from the photograph.
The plaintiff alleges that the infringement has caused lots of damages, confusion and harm to their existing market and future market.
The case is ongoing.
Splash News and Picture Agency, LLC v. Hemsworth
| Judge: | Christina A Snyder |
| Court: | California Central District Court |
| Case #: | 2:19-cv-10584 |
| Nature of Suit: | Copyright |
| Cause: | Copyright Infringement |
| Case Filed: | December 15th, 2019 |
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