Image from the Court Case used with permission
Yesterday, we reported on Freelance Photographer Robert Caplin suing entertainment blogger Perez Hilton for loads of cash. To refresh, Caplin is suing for $150,000 x 14 due to the fact that Hilton took 14 images of Glee star Darren Criss from Caplin’s website without permission or paying for them and commodified them for himself–which comes out to $150,000 per image.
However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. After hours of Googling, we were able to find the court docs.
According to the court docs, Caplin put in measures on his website that prevent people from stealing his images. But what Hilton did instead to get around the security was screenshot them. Caplin discovered the images one day later back in January of 2012, and found that Hilton added his watermark and hyperlinked the images for the readers to shop for clothing.
Hilton claimed that the images were via the NYTimes, and that one photo didn’t have Caplin’s watermark. When Caplin called Hilton, he apologized and pledged to remove the images. Caplin waited months until filing a lawsuit in May 2012 and specifically stated that he didn’t allow Hilton to take the images and that he is the creator and proprietor. Hilton hasn’t compensated Caplin, and the court docs actually list other instances of this happening to other photographers.
Carolyn E Wright, who is part of Photo Attorney and is representing Caplin, denied to comment on the case.
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