Miley Cyrus has come under fire from photographer Robert Barbera.
According to court documents obtained by Billboard, paparazzo Barbera has filed a lawsuit against the 29-year-old singer for posting a photo of her without permission or accusation.
Cyrus posted a photo of herself on social media in 2020 waving to onlookers as she exited a building allegedly taken by Barbera. It didn’t credit the photographer in its caption, and the pop star reportedly didn’t ask Barbera for rights to use it.
The Music Times reports that copyright law credits the copyright of the photo to the person taking the photo. The subject of the photo does not have automatic rights to use it, even if it was taken without the subject’s permission.
As well as arguing that the image was displayed without charge or permission, Barbera’s lawsuit stated that the photographer could no longer profit from the photo through a license.
Filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court, Barbera requested actual and statutory damages for the infringement, which totaled $150,000 (£128,200) per infringing act.
Barbera served Dua Lipa with a copyright lawsuit for similar infringement earlier this year, and previously sued Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber with the same claim.
