How Much Can a Photograph of Yourself Cost You? In Ariana Grande’s Case, It’s $50,000!

Being a famous superstar has its perks. Surely it has some inconveniences too like limited privacy, not being able to go to public places without security escorts, and dig this; being sued for posting a photo of yourself online!

The pop start Ariana Grande sings her heart out on Sweetener Tour

It’s a Trend!

Apparently, there is a growing trend of filing lawsuits from the paparazzo community. Big stars like Kim Kardashian West, Jennifer Lopez, and Gigi Hadid, had a taste of this viral movement.

The American singer Ariana Grande, who doesn’t seem to have a friendly appeal with paparazzi because of her Sweetener World Tour photo policy, was sued for illegally uploading a photograph of hers online. How can posting your own photo be illegal? A lot may ask.

How is it Possible?

Professional photographer Robert Barbera is the rightful owner of the said photograph that Ariana Grande posted on Instagram and Twitter. Barbera filed a legal dispute against the Thank U, Next singer Ariana Grande for using two of his snapshots without consent or proper credit.

The said photos display the singer exiting a building in a white, baggy sweater with a translucent hand-carry with the word Sweetener stamped on it. Grande posted the photos for her fans as a celebration of her album’s anniversary entitled Sweetener. The picture on her feed gained more than 3,390,000 likes from followers across countries.

These are the photos that cost Ariana Grande a $50,000 lawsuit

Ariana Grande is in Trouble

Because of that, Grande is now facing a lawsuit for copyright infringement in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. The New York-based photojournalist Robert Barbera is demanding an amount of $25,000 for each photo that Grande publicly published without his approval or whatever revenue the singer made for that post.

Who could imagine getting into trouble and having to pay a huge amount of money over a photograph of yourself, captured by a stranger who didn’t even ask permission from you? That’s the same sentiment of Gigi Hadid who faced the same lawsuit earlier this year.

Gigi Hadid also faced a copyright infringement lawsuit earlier this year.

Which Side Wins the Sympathy?

Many are sympathizing with celebrities because of the fact that they are celebrities. Of course, they wouldn’t personally know who among the random stalkers in the crowd could have captured their photos. They could have simply informed the Hollywood stars that it’s their professional work and humbly asked to be credited so they will be recognized.

Others are on the paparazzi’s corner. Most are artists who can relate about not getting proper credentials on their masterpieces and not earning profits from them. These stars are known to collect plenty of cash for simply posting on Instagram or any other social media platform. A minimum share or at least a credit to the artist for exposure won’t hurt them.

Either way, the world is now dominated by technology, and we should be aware of the little damages that it may cause us. That’s one lesson Ariana Grande probably learned from this.