iStock/HailshadowJustin Bieber is being sued for posting a photo of himself to Instagram.
In court documents obtained by E! News, the photographer, Robert Barbera, alleges the singer used the copyrighted photo without permission.
“Barbera is the author of the Photograph and has at all times been the sole owner of all right, title and interest in and to the Photograph, including the copyright thereto,” the documents state.
The suit claims Justin “did not license the Photograph” from Barbera, nor did he have Barbera’s “permission or consent to publish” the photo on Instagram.
The photo at the center of the controversy was posted by Justin back in March 13 and it shows him in a car with his friend Rich Wilkerson.
“Me and my guy,” he captioned the photo. It’s still up on Justin’s Instagram page.
It’s not clear how much Barbera is seeking from the lawsuit but back in May, he similarly sued Ariana Grande for posting photos he took of her to Instagram. In that suit, he said he wanted to be compensated with either the profits Ariana earned from the photos or $25,000 for each pic — whichever amount was greater. He eventually filed a voluntary dismissal “without costs.”
Just over a week ago, Jennifer Lopez was also sued for a photo of her and Alex Rodriguez that she posted to her Instagram Story in 2017. Splash News and Picture Agency is seeking $150,000.
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