Jennifer Lopez is facing legal action once again, this time for sharing glamorous paparazzi snaps of herself on social media without obtaining the rights to do so.
The pop icon and actress posted two photos in January of herself arriving at the star-studded Amazon MGM Studios and Vanity Fair Party at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, held the night before the Golden Globes.
Dressed in an elegant white gown paired with a faux fur coat, Lopez shared the images on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), captioning the post “GG Weekend Glamour.”
The pictures were quickly circulated by fashion and fan accounts, but not everyone was thrilled about it.
Photographer Edwin Blanco and the paparazzi agency Backgrid, who claim to hold copyright over the images, have each filed lawsuits against the global superstar. They argue that Lopez never obtained authorization to post the photos publicly.
According to the complaints, the images were used “to promote Ms Lopez’s public appearances, boost user engagement, increase shareability, and lend credibility to her branded content.”
Both plaintiffs are seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 (£112,000) per photo.
The lawsuits further allege that Lopez used the images to showcase her outfit and jewelry, effectively turning the post into a promotional platform for the designers and brand partnerships she represents. “Ms Lopez’s unauthorised use of the Images is commercial in nature, intended for the purpose of self-promotion,” the legal filings claim. “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 U.S. copyright law, merely appearing in a photograph does not grant the subject ownership or rights to publish it. Copyright typically remains with the photographer or their agency unless otherwise negotiated.
In this case, Backgrid and Blanco maintain that Lopez’s team was contacted shortly after the post went live, and a licensing deal was proposed. However, they state that she has yet to sign the agreement.
This is not the first time Lopez has found herself at the center of such a dispute. She has previously been sued in both 2019 and 2020 for sharing paparazzi shots without securing the appropriate permissions.
Her case is just the latest in a string of similar lawsuits involving celebrities.
Stars Face Repeated Legal Challenges
British singer Dua Lipa was sued by photographer Robert Barbera after posting a 2018 image of herself in a “HEROES” sweater on Instagram. Barbera claimed the post increased Lipa’s online engagement and visibility, constituting commercial use. Attempts to settle reportedly failed.
Supermodel Gigi Hadid has also faced multiple lawsuits. Most recently, she was taken to court by XCLUSIVE-LEE, INC. for sharing a street photo without proper licensing, despite her having previously settled a similar claim.
Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian was named in a 2017 copyright suit filed by Xposure Photos for posting a photo taken at a Miami restaurant.
The suit alleged she removed copyright information and used the image to boost her brand, damaging the original photographer’s commercial value.
These cases underscore a recurring misunderstanding among public figures—that being in a photo does not equate to owning it. With the reach of celebrity social media accounts and their impact on brand marketing, copyright enforcement in this space continues to be a contentious legal frontier.
As Lopez navigates this latest legal challenge, it serves as a reminder that even the most followed celebrities are not exempt from the laws governing intellectual property.
