Here’s how model Gigi Hadid’s fight over a copyright lawsuit could affect our Instagram reposts
- Like Ariana Grande, Khloé Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, Gigi Hadid has been sued for copyright infringement over a photo, but she claims rights to it because she posed and smiled
Model Gigi Hadid is fighting a copyright infringement lawsuit over an Instagram photo she posted by arguing she has rights to the picture since she posed and smiled for the photographer.
A paparazzi agency sued Hadid in January for copyright infringement involving a photo the model shared with her more than 48 million followers on Instagram. The lawsuit alleges Hadid doesn't have rights to the photo, and that she posted the photo to her social media in violation of the photographer’s copyright claims.
However, Hadid’s lawyers say the model does have rights to the photo because she contributed to it: she posed and smiled for the camera, chose her outfit and even cropped the picture before posting it. Hadid is arguing that, because of that, the image is fair use, and she didn't need to obtain permission to use the photo.
The photo in question has since been deleted from Instagram, but it reportedly showed Hadid posing in a denim outfit on the street in New York City.
Pictures of high-profile celebrities, singers and actors are highly coveted shots that can rake in hundreds of thousands for well-placed photographers.
Hadid’s argument has the potential to affect the way both celebrities and their fans share paparazzi photos online.
Making coveted celebrity photos “fair use” would open the field for who can repost certain photos, and could potentially breathe new light into popular fan accounts that have thus far been limited in what they can post because of copyright claims.