Skip to main content

Will Website Run Hot N Cold in Katy Perry Pic Copyright Lawsuit?

By Robyn Hagan Cain on December 07, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Mavrix Photo, the Florida-based paparazzi machine that never shies away from a lawsuit, is once again suing in a California federal court over misappropriated celebrity snaps. Last week, Mavrix launched a $3 million copyright infringement lawsuit against another celebrity gossip website.

Mavrix claims that Idontlikeyouinthatway.com "reproduced, publicly distributed and publicly displayed copyright-protected [Katy Perry] photographs belonging to Mavrix on numerous occasions" in or around August 2011.

According to the complaint, (brief thanks to Courthouse News Service), celebrity gossip and photos are among "the most valued Internet commodities" to generate web traffic, and Idontlikeyouinthatway.com drives significant advertising revenue through such images.

Mavrix claims it has licensed individual images of celebrities for over $100,000 to media outlets, so you can understand why the company would be annoyed when a gossip site earns money by publishing a photo that it allegedly used in violation of copyright laws.

While Mavrix only filed its latest copyright lawsuit on Friday, there are already a few winners in this case:

  1. Katy Perry: Perry is now immortalized as a "superstar singer" in federal court records, thanks to this lawsuit. Plenty of musicians earn Grammys and adoration from fans and peers, but only a select few get legal "superstar" status. Congratulations, Katy!
  2. Mavrix: The photo agency has previously licensed a single image for over $100,000? We're definitely in the wrong business.
  3. One LLP: Aside from having a minimalist-cool name, this California-based intellectual property firm represents Mavrix in its frequent copyright lawsuits. This is the same firm that argued Mavrix v. Brand, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals purposeful direction decision that may have opened the door for popular commercial website to be sued anywhere.

Katy Perry seems to be Mavrix's $3 million girl: Last year, the company sued Fanpop, a fan website operator, for $3.15 million after the site published Mavrix-owned photos of Perry vacationing in a bikini. The case was privately settled, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on Mavrix's complaint against Idontlikeyouinthatway.com, we're guessing that this latest copyright lawsuit will also be settled.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard