A New York paparazzo is seeking damages from the singer, who posted one of her snaps on her own Instagram page.
Dua Lipa is sued by a paparazzo. New York photographer Robert Barbera accuses her of having published without authorization on his Instagram page photos he took of her in July 2018. According to Billboardwho reports the information, he is claiming, among other things, damages from the singer, a ban on using any of his photos and reimbursement of his legal costs.
The American media indicates that Robert Barbera discovered the photos in question on Dua Lipa’s Instagram page in June 2019. The singer of Levitating appeared there wearing a black sweater flocked with the word “HEROES”. He explains that he first wanted to resolve this matter amicably but that “communication slowed down before stopping” when the singer obtained a draft of her complaint and the images were deleted from her account.
Second complaint in a year
In his complaint, Robert Barbera argues that Dua Lipa uses her Instagram account to promote her work, including her music, and that the non-freedom-free photos she posted have benefited her financially, while driving down their value.
“Without permission or authorization from the plaintiff, the defense willfully selected, copied, recorded and disseminated each of the plaintiff’s copyrighted photos,” the complaint reads.
This is the second time Dua Lipa has faced such a complaint: NME reports that the British star was sued last July by the company Integral Images for similar facts; the case had been dismissed.
Common practice
Jennifer Lopez, Emily Ratajkowski and Gigi Hadid have also been the target of complaints from paparazzi when they took their pictures for their own Instagram pages. A procedure that the latter had described as “absurd” in a publication:
“These people make money off of us every day, harass us legally – when we’re not doing anything special (…) They drive dangerously close and extremely recklessly; they put people at risk by trying to get a picture.”
Robert Barbera is not at his first attempt: he has already sued Ariana Grande twice as well as Justin Bieber for the same reasons. With the latter, he had reached an amicable agreement. The two proceedings against Ariana Grande had been dismissed by the courts.
