LeBron James is reportedly getting sued for using a pic of himself in a Facebook post. As crazy as it sounds, this is perfectly likely given the laws of photography. Court documents revealed the King is being sued by photographer Steven Mitchell for using a picture of himself as a member of the Miami Heat, the team LeBron took to four NBA Finals between 2011 and 2014, winning two titles.
In this world, copyright laws are quite interesting, as you can be sued for using a picture of yourself, as is the case with the Los Angeles Lakers star and the $150,000 Mitchell is asking for damages.
“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 lawsuit reads.
Mitchell explains, via The Blast:
“This is an action for copyright infringement under Section 501 of the Copyright Act. This action arises out of Defendant’s unauthorized reproduction and public display of a copyrighted photograph of NBA basketball player Lebron James during a basketball game against the Miami Heat, owned and registered by Mitchell, a professional photographer.”
It’s crazy to see this happening, but that’s the world we live in. Sometimes people take advantage of your celebrity status to try to get some money from you, but that’s the law in photography.
Bron is yet to make any comments on this matter, as he remains focused on getting back to work once the NBA hiatus is finished. Before the NBA suspended the season, the Lakers were having a terrific moment, beating the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers in consecutive games. One believes this hiatus will help them to return stronger than before.
