A Paparazzi identified as Robert Barbera who is notoriously known to go after celebrities using his photographs by filing a lawsuit against them for compensation, is now suing Justin Bieber as he accused the singer of copyright infringement.
Barbera says he makes his money by licensing his photographs to online and print media. The suit explains that the Paparazzi took a photo of Bieber and then copyrighted the image. The snap shows Bieber in the back of a car with a friend, the Blast had reported.
Barbera who is becoming famous for his lawsuits, last dragged Ariana Grande his last victim, to court, where he sued her in a separate dispute over copyright infringement. The case just like what is happening now to Justin Bieber, Paparazzi Barbera had filed a suit against her on a photo of Grande exiting a building in New York, of which she had posted on her social media without acknowledging him. He said Grande took that photo and posted it on her Instagram, the same day her album came out.
Earlier this year, Grande reached a settlement with Barbera to end the $50,000 battle
In the case filed by Paparazzi against Justin Bieber, he accused the singer of taking his photo and posting it on his Instagram. He says, “Defendants ran the Photograph on the Website. The Website received 3,905,147 likes. Defendants did not license the Photograph from Plaintiff for its Website, nor did Defendants have Plaintiff’s permission or consent to publish the Photograph on its Website.”
The suit states, “Defendants infringed Plaintiff’s copyright in the Photograph by reproducing and publicly displaying the Photograph on the Website. Defendants are not, and has never been, licensed or otherwise authorized to reproduce, publically display, distribute and/or use the Photograph.”
Paparazzi Barbera is demanding Biebera turn over all profits he made by using the photo. He also wants an injunction against the singer from using his work and punitive damages, along with $150,000 per infringement.