Nick Rozansky’s Article About Volvo’s Instagram Copyright Lawsuit Published by Forbes
Nicholas Rozansky’s article “‘Volvo’ Instagram Lawsuit Exposes Social Media Copyright Nuances” was recently published by Forbes, and focuses on the ongoing lawsuit against Volvo over an Instagram story the company published. The story posted by Volvo featured photographs of a model posing with a Volvo car, though the brand was not involved with the shoot. The photographer and model then filed a lawsuit against Volvo for copyright violation, among other claims. Rozansky discusses some of the history of similar lawsuits, as well as the importance of these lawsuits in defining the legal groundwork for the future. Some excerpts from the article can be found below.
“Copyright claims by photographers, many of whom post their work to social media, are nothing new. Targets of these suits have included everyone from Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber to Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashians -celebrities and influencers who have monetized their social media feeds and can make six figures per post for sponsored content. But for brands, whose social accounts and their own websites are a form of advertising, it can be less clear-cut, and they must be especially careful when navigating these issues.”
“With so many pages of terms of use to read through for each social media platform, and the terms being subject to change at any time (Facebook is updating its terms of use effective October 1, 2020), it is unlikely this question will have a clear resolution. The social media giants will of course insulate themselves and maintain their license rights for content posted on their platform.”