Is it too late now to say sorry?
Justin Bieber is being sued over posting a photo…of himself. That’s right, photographer Robert Barbera has filed a lawsuit against the “Love Yourself” singer for copyright infringement over a picture Bieber posted on Instagram. In the court documents. Barbera says that this action arises due to Bieber’s “unauthorized reproduction and public display” of the copyrighted photograph, which is owned and registered by Barbera.
“Barbera is the author of the Photograph and has at all times been the sole owner of all right, title and interest in and to the Photograph, including the copyright thereto,” the documents state.
The photo in question is one that Bieber posted to his Instagram on March 13, showing him in a car with his pal, Rich Wilkerson.
“Me and my guy,” the 25-year-old star captioned the photo, which is still up on the social media platform.
According to the court documents, Bieber “did not license the Photograph” from Barbera for his Instagram page, nor did he have Barbera’s “permission or consent to publish” the photo on Instagram.
This lawsuit comes just over a week after Jennifer Lopez was sued for copyright infringement over a photo she posted to her Instagram Story in 2017. News and Picture Agency filed the lawsuit against Lopez, seeking $150,000 over a picture she posted of her and Alex Rodriguez.
Back in September, Gigi Hadid was sued for posting a photo of her ex, Zayn Malik, on her Instagram Story.
UPDATE:
Justin Bieber says he’s made peace with the photographer who filed a lawsuit against him over an unauthorized image the pop star shared to Instagram.
“Photo taken by @papculture!” Bieber wrote on Instagram on Friday. “Stop all the fuss we worked it out! He’s a good dude!!!!! What do you guys think album and another tour?”
Case closed!
