Ariana Grande facing a lawsuit for posting a photo of herself on social media
Photographer Robert Barbera isn’t liking a photo Ariana Grande shared on Instagram that showed her shopping in New York City.
In fact, he’s suing the “7 Rings” singer, according to multiple reports. Barbera is suing for copyright infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. He alleged that she shared two photos he took of her on Instagram without licensing or asking for “permission or consent to publish the photographs.”
The photos in question were snapped as Grande strolled through Manhattan with a bag featuring the word “Sweetener,” the name of the star’s 2018 album and current world tour.
The Blast noted that the photos, which she captioned “Happy sweetener day,” have been taken down. More than 3.3 million people liked them when she shared them on the day her album was released.
The photographer is suing for $25,000 per photo posted or all of the profits she received from posting them, whichever amount is greater, per TMZ.
Yahoo Entertainment has reached out to Grande’s team for comment.
Grande tangled with photographers in March because of the strict photo policy for her concerts. The National Press Photographers Association and many news organizations, including the Associated Press and the New York Times, sent a letter to Grande’s tour company objecting to the agreement that photographers covering her tour had to sign. They said rules about the use of flash and where photos could be taken was too strict compared to those of other artists. The biggie was the stipulation that all rights to the photos would belong to the tour.
A Grande source told TMZ at the time that the policy was needed, because she had been exploited by them for years.
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