Posting a paparazzi photo and being sued for it is becoming quite the trend in Hollywood. In what appears to be an increasingly common scenario, Kim Kardashian is the latest celebrity to be facing legal action after she posted the photo, with the photographer now suing for “any profits she made off the Instagram post.”
The photo in question – which we’re not posting for obvious reasons – appeared on Kardashian’s Instagram page in October 2018, racking up 2.2 million likes. But as per TMZ, the photographer behind the snap, Saeed Bolden, is now taking legal action. He claims she posted the image without his permission, and certainly didn’t compensate him financially for doing so.
Bolden is seeking any profits she made on the back of the Instagram post, and also wants "punitive damages." Interestingly, he is also suing Skims Body, Kardashian’s shapewear clothing line, despite the fact the company’s Instagram account never posted the image in dispute.
The increasing likelihood of celebrities landing in hot water for posting a photo of themselves clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed, as Kardashian recently hired her own paparazzi photographer, so as to avoid any further legal battles. It comes after fan accounts were being shut down for posting unauthorized photos. “Btw [sic] since the paparazzi agencies won’t allow the fans to repost, all of my pics are taken by my own photog and you guys can always repost whatever you want,” she said.
Oh calm down Jean val Jean.
oh, behave....You are the one with the histrionics.
I don't see why we should have compassion with the KKW golddiggers. Even when it's a paparazzi that wants to shake out tons of money out of them.
I would tend to agree with Edwards assessment of paparazzi. Celebs cannot venture out with their own families for a bite to eat without being harassed by these fools! These slime balls can harass them, steal their image and lay claim to the exclusive use of that product! Unbelievable! Generally, I am no fan of these pampered fools but I do think it is patently unfair that a "photographer" can steal their image then demand that they don’t use it unless they first compensate the person who stole it in the first place!
"steal their image"? they are in public. what part of copyright don't you get? KK is so entitled that she feels the licensing rules do not apply to her. She makes enough to license an image for her instagram.
I've always found it strange that a photographer can legally stalk a celebrity and take secret pictures of them and then sue them for posting a picture of themselves. I understand it's the law, and copyright is important for us as photographers but this has always felt strange to me.
It's true, very strange. But at the same time this particular celeb is famous for being famous. "Being famous" is her job, and without paparazzi and constant tabloid attention she would be less so. They both feed off each other. Without her fame the paparazzi would have nothing to sell.
she could have just licensed the photo to avoid any issues. we do it all the time. what makes her special that she doesn't have pay licensing fees for income generating instagram posts? how would you feel about people pirating your tutorials?
I have no interest in working as a paparazzi but I do believe in protecting one's Intellectual Property. If you do not break a law while creating your works and there is a demand for it, you should be able to do so. Ethically, there may be issues but legally no. As far as waiting to sue from an October '18 Instagram post, perhaps he was waiting for the LOC Certificate, maybe he reached out in order to settle before pursuing a case or any number of reasons. KKW is a big business and creates a lot of money so why not compensate the creator of images?
no one likes to know how the sausage is made but they all love to eat it. glad this photog is making her pay for the sausage.
Who is Kim Kardashian and why should I care?
Caitlin and Bruce Jenners stepdaughter, she’s on some cable show.
That doesn't answer the question, why should I care?