Jessica Simpson Is Being Sued for Posting a Picture of Herself on Social Media
Yup, you read that right. Jessica Simpson is being sued for posting a picture of herself on social media.
The photo in question of the singer leaving the Bowery Hotel in New York City was posted on Instagram and Twitter, and now the paparazzo who snapped the shot is filing a lawsuit against both Simpson and and Reality TV World for copyright infringement.
Splash News and Picture Agency, a Nevada-based celebrity news company, reportedly granted The Daily Mail license to use the image, but never gave Simpson the same access.
"Simpson or someone acting on her behalf copied the Photograph and distributed it on Instagram — within hours of its original publication on August 9, 2017," writes attorney Peter Perkowski in the lawsuit. "The copy of the Photograph that Simpson distributed on Instagram had been altered, without authorization or approval, to remove the CMI showing plaintiff as the copyright owner of the image."
The attorney argues that the photo could have contributed to more licensing revenue, had it not been shared on social media, stating: "Simpson’s Instagram post and Twitter tweet made the Photograph immediately available to her nearly 11.5 million followers and others, consumers of entertainment news — and especially news and images of Simpson herself, as evidenced by their status as followers of her — who would otherwise be interested in viewing licensed versions of the Photograph in the magazines and newspapers that are plaintiff’s customers."
Oof! What. A. Mess.