Sony Music Publishing Sued Over Stevie Wonder Photo in Album Anniversary Instagram Post
A photographer claims the music publisher used his "iconic" work without a license in a post celebrating 50 years of the album Innervisions.
Sony Music Publishing (SMP) is currently facing a copyright infringement lawsuit over an Instagram post featuring a photograph of Stevie Wonder. The photographer, Alan Satterwhite, claims the album anniversary post, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of Wonder's 1973 album Innervisions, was done without obtaining a license from him.
According to Satterwhite's lawsuit, SMP did not purchase a license for the image before posting it to Instagram. He alleges that this infringement has harmed and will continue to harm the potential market value of his copyrighted work by preventing him from licensing the image for various purposes. Satterwhite is seeking the maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for copyright infringement.
Satterwhite has a history of litigation, having brought multiple lawsuits against various entities for allegedly using his photographs of celebrities without permission. These include Amazon, Complex, CBS Radio, and the Berklee College of Music. SMP, on the other hand, typically focuses on music-related copyright issues rather than image licensing. In recent months, the company has been involved in copyright disputes related to songwriters' works, such as the case against Olivia Dean's music publisher.
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