Jennifer Lopez faces a new demand for alleged infraction of copyright by publishing photographs of herself without the proper authorization on her social networks. Photographer Edwin Blanco and the Backgrid USA agency have submitted a federal demand in which they claim that the artist shared nine images taken during a party prior to the 2025 Gold Balloons without obtaining the necessary permits or granting the corresponding credit.
The incident dates back to January 4, 2025, when Lopez attended the Amazon MGM Studios X Vanity Fair party at the Los Angeles Marmont bar. During the event, she was photographed wearing a white leather coat, a lingerie dress and a Chanel bag. Subsequently, the artist shared these images in her Instagram and X (previously Twitter) accounts, where she has 248 million and 43.6 million followers respectively, accompanied by the text “Weekend Glamor”.
Blanco and Backgrid USA claim to be copropiets of the photographs and argue that Lopez used them for commercial purposes, promoting the designers and brands he wore at the event. The lawsuit requests compensation of up to $ 150,000 for each of the nine images, adding a total of 1.35 million dollars, and has requested a jury trial. The demand against Jennifer Lopez could sit an important precedent in the relationship between celebrities and photographers. While social networks have transformed the way public figures interact with their followers, they have also raised legal challenges around the use of protected content.
Background and Legal Context
It is not the first time that Jennifer Lopez faces a similar legal situation. In 2019, she was sued for publishing on Instagram a photograph with her then partner, Alex Rodriguez, without the authorization of the photographer. Although that demand was withdrawn in 2020, it is argued that the artist was already aware of the legal implications of sharing images without permission. This case highlights the legal complexities around the use of images on social networks, especially when it comes to public figures. In the United States, the copyright law protects photographers, even if the images capture celebrities. This means thatalthough a person is the protagonist of a photograph, he does not automatically have the rights to share it without authorization.
Reactions and precedents in the industry
So far, Neither Jennifer Lopez nor his representatives have issued comments on the demand. However, this type of litigation is not exclusive to the artist. Other celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Khloé Kardashian and Gigi Hadid have also faced demands for sharing photographs taken by paparazzi without due permission. These cases have generated a debate in the entertainment industry on the rights of photographers against public figures. While the paparazzi argue that their images are works protected by copyright, celebrities question the ethics of being demanded by sharing photos of themselves.
