Dua Lipa may have to hand over a large amount of cash after she was sued for posting a photo snapped by the paparazzi to her Instagram page. Integral Images filed an eight-page complaint in California court on July 6 that accuses the Future Nostalgia singer of copyright infringement. It adds that Lipa shared an image owned by Integral Images to her Instagram page in February 2019 “without permission or authorization.” The company also pointed out that she uses her Instagram account as a marketing tool to bring in more revenue.
“The Account is monetized in that it contains content designed to accumulate followers who are directed to, via link and/or advertisement, consume and purchase Defendant’s content, Defendant profits from these activities,” the complaint reads. As a result, Integral Images is seeking $150,000 in damages or “an award of actual damages and disgorgement of all of Defendant’s profits attributable to the infringements,” whichever is the higher amount. They also seek an order that would instruct the singer from committing any future acts of infringement as well as coverage for litigation costs and attorney fees.
The screenshot of the singer’s Instagram post in question, one that depicts Lipa at the airport while wearing a large hat, was also included in the complaint. According to Billboard, representatives for both Lipa and Integral Images failed to immediately return the publication’s request for comment.
The incident comes after Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber were both sued in 2019 for posting paparazzi-taken pictures of themselves.
Dua Lipa is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.