Lopez faces lawsuit over copyrighted Paparazzi photos

Jennifer Lopez is facing a lawsuit for posting photos of herself on social media without getting permission from the photographer and agency that took them.

The photos show Lopez wearing a white dress and a white faux fur coat as she arrived at the Amazon MGM Studios and Vanity Fair Party in Los Angeles, the night before this year’s Golden Globes in January.

She shared the images on Instagram and X with the caption, "GG Weekend Glamour."

Photographer Edwin Blanco and the photo agency Backgrid say they own the rights to the pictures and that Lopez did not have their approval to use them.

Both Blanco and Backgrid have filed lawsuits seeking up to $150,000 ( Sh19.3 million)  in damages for each of the two images.

The lawsuits say Lopez used the photos "to promote [her] public appearances, boost user engagement, increase shareability, and lend credibility to her branded content."

They argue that the posts were “commercial in nature, intended for the purpose of self-promotion.”

They also claim she 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.”

According to the legal documents, Lopez’s team was contacted after the photos were posted, and a deal was discussed. But Blanco and Backgrid say the agreement has not been signed.

Any person shown in a photo doesn’t automatically own the rights to it. Those rights typically belong to the photographer or the agency that took the photo, and they control how the image is used.

Lopez has not yet responded publicly to the latest claims. BBC News says her representatives were asked for comment.

The singer and actress has faced similar lawsuits in the past. In 2019 and again in 2020, she was sued for sharing photos taken by other photographers.

Other celebrities, including Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid and Khloe Kardashian, have also faced legal action for posting photos of themselves taken by paparazzi.