Recent Legal Articles

Nikon's Last Film Camera Has Been Recalled by the European Union

Product recalls tend to produce something between concern and shock in consumers, especially when they come years after initial production. And while Nikon is no stranger to recalls, a safety recall on one of their camera bodies might meet consumer reaction closer to the shock end of the spectrum.

Photojournalist Blinded in One Eye While Reporting on Protests Is Suing the City of Minneapolis, Using Pictures She Took of Police as Evidence

During the protests in Minneapolis last month, photojournalist Linda Tirado was left blind in one eye after being hit by a foam bullet used by police. After initially making light of the situation, she has now decided to pursue legal action against the City of Minneapolis, and is citing the last images she took of police before she was shot at as evidence.

Man Pushes Photographer Into Lake in Unprovoked Attack, Damages $3,000 of Gear

Video footage shows the moment an unprovoked man decides to push a photographer into a nearby pond, injuring her and submerging her $3,000 worth of gear into the water. The clip sees members of the public rally around to support the woman, while the attacker tries to downplay his actions.

Michael Jordan's Tequila Company Sued for Copyright Infringement

Cincoro, the premium tequila company founded by Michael Jordan and a group of NBA owners, is being sued by a Los Angeles photographer for copyright infringement in a suit that alleges the company used her images in a variety of instances without her permission.

New York Court Rules That by Posting on Instagram, This Photographer Gave up Her Exclusive Licensing Rights

There’s been much confusion and many legal dramas in recent years surrounding the use of images in online articles, particularly the legality of a picture embedded from social media. Now, a New York federal court has sided with Mashable after they faced legal action from a photographer who was unhappy they embedded her Instagram post into their article.

Department of Justice Sides With Kentucky Photographer Who Refuses to Shoot Gay Weddings

A Kentucky-based photographer who refuses to photograph same-sex weddings is being backed in her legal battle by the Department of Justice, which says requiring her to do so would be “violat[ing] her sincerely held religious beliefs,” and “invades her First Amendment rights.” She is fighting against a Louisville ordinance that bans local businesses from discriminating against homosexual customers.

Destination Wedding Photographers: Are You Breaking the Law?

How many photographers do you know who travel to different countries and photograph weddings in beautiful and exotic locations? The question is: are those wedding photographers legally allowed to work outside of their home country, or are they rolling the dice on having their equipment confiscated and them being blacklisted from entering that country again?

Photographer Has Defamation Action Thrown Out by Court After Claiming Dispute Over Nude Shoot in a Castle Has Ruined His Business

Back in 2017, a story emerged in which a Scottish photographer entered into a nasty legal battle with The National Trust over “artistic nudes” he shot inside one of their castles. Fast-forward a little over two years, and the photographer has now learned his defamation action has failed in seeking the £50,000 he says he’s owed after he claims the drama saw a 50% drop in bookings for the photography courses he runs.

Bay Area Photographer Facing Action After Taking Photo of Golden Gate Bridge From 'Illegal Angle'

A Bay Area photographer is facing legal trouble for posting a composited picture of the Golden Gate Bridge with the blood moon, which was taken from an “illegal angle.” The Bridge District claims the angle shows that the photographer must have trespassed into a restricted area in order to get the shot and wants the photo removed from his website — something he refuses to do.

A Food Delivery Company Is Encouraging a Hashtag Which Enables It to Claim Copyright of Any Photo

Deliveroo, a UK-based food delivery company of a similar caliber to Postmates and UberEats, is targeting users to use the hashtag #yesDeliveroo as a means of gaining the rights to use peoples photos for their commercial gain. The contract that the copyright owner commits to by using the hashtag sees them surrender their image(s) to Deliveroo “for any purpose” and “royalty free,” and by doing so, they “have no right to withdraw at any time.”

Hotel Chain Attempts to Trick Photographer Into Granting Rights to Use, Sell and License His Images

A photographer is warning others after an encounter with a Hilton-owned hotel recently, which saw the company try to deceptively obtain the rights to use his images freely, including to sell. The company tried to entice him to allow them to "share" the image, but the fine print revealed it would allow the hotel to use the images for profit any way they wished.

Florida District Court Sides With Creativity

Florida District Court rules that a dentist's photos of his patient's teeth are not protectable by copyright laws because they lack creative spark. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals overturns the case.

Apple Loses Legal Attempt to Have RED's RAW Video Patent Overturned

RED currently holds the main patent relating to raw video – something which Apple has recently attempted to get thrown out. However, a US court has now dismissed Apple’s efforts to have RED’s patent undone, meaning RED has some power over Apple’s ProRes RAW codec.