Dua Lipa has been sued for posting paparazzi photos on her Instagram profile. Photographer Robert Barbera claims that the singer shared two photos taken by him in 2018, without first obtaining permission.
In his lawsuit, filed in California earlier this week, Barbera says Dua removed the photos after being notified of the alleged violation, but after he handed her a draft of his legal complaint "communication slowed down and eventually stopped. "
"The plaintiff sent several emails to the defendant to inform him that this request would be filed," the lawsuit states. "The plaintiff has not received any response and as such has been forced by the defendant to seek the assistance of the court to adjudicate this case."
The owner of a photograph is usually the photograph and any person appearing in the image who has no rights under copyright law. They may be able to restrict the use of photography through the law of privacy, or by exercising image or publicity rights, but intellectual property rights usually belong to anyone who owns the camera.
There have been a number of lawsuits filed in recent years by photographers who have photographed a celebrity and then celebrities have posted their picture on social media. In 2019, Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande were also sued by Barbera over the matter.
Dua Lipa was also sued in the case last year for an image she shared in 2019. The same lawyer who raised the case, Craig B Saunders, now represents Barbera.
