Jennifer Lopez is being sued for resharing paparazzi photos that a photographer and his agency allege were used without their permission.
The 55-year-old singer, who recently received facial stitches for an onstage injury, posted pictures of herself attending a pre-Golden Globes party held by Amazon MGM Studios and Vanity Fair in Los Angeles in January.
Lopez wore a white Silvia Tcherassi Daniela dress with a V-neckline and floral design. She topped the outfit with a fur coat and accessorised the look with Gianvito Rossi’s Elle shoes and a Chanel bag.
She posted the glamorous photos to her Instagram and X/Twitter pages, where she boasts over 248 million and 43.6 million followers respectively, with the caption: “GG Weekend Glamour”. The images were subsequently shared across various fan and fashion pages.
Edwin Blanco, the photographer who took the images, and his agency, Backgrid, have now filed separate lawsuits saying they own the copyright to the photos. They are seeking up to $150,000 (£112,000) damages each per photo.
Blanco and Backgrid say that the images were used "to promote Ms Lopez's public appearances, boost user engagement, increase shareability, and lend credibility to her branded content”.
The legal documents 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."
The lawsuit also allege that Blanco and his agency contacted representatives for Lopez after she shared the pictures and that they had come to an agreement on payment, however the deal had still not been signed by the singer.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Lopez.
The “On the Floor” singer has been sued for using images of herself on two previous occasions, including in 2019 and 2020. Both disputes were settled out of court, with the final agreement not publicly disclosed.
Other celebrities have also been subject to similar lawsuits, including Gigi Hadid in 2019, prompting her to post a lengthy statement calling the action “absurd”. Khloe Kardashian and Dua Lipa have also been at the centre of legal action over the use of their own photos.
