DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Chi Modu estate sues Universal Music Group for using a 2Pac photo without permission

Jun 30, 2022 by Dunja Djudjic Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Albert Watson

Chi Modu captured some of the most iconic photos of the 1990s hip-hop stars. The late photographer’s estate recently got in another legal battle, this time against Universal Music Group (UMG).

UMG allegedly used one of Modu’s iconic images of Tupac Shakur in a 2019 blog post. The estate claims that the copyright info was removed and they’re now suing UMG for copyright infringement.

The Estate of Chi Modu filed the lawsuit on 24 June with the US District Court for the Central District of California. According to the suit, UMG used the image in the blog post titled Best Tupac Songs: 26 Essential Tracks. At the moment of writing this, the article is illustrated with a photo from Getty Images. However, the attorney for the estate claims that it used Modu’s image while crediting Universal Music Archives instead of the photographer. The estate alleges that, by doing this, UMG profited off the use of the image.

According to Billboard, the article was originally published on 16 June 2019, which would have been Tupac’s 48th birthday. But as you can see in the screenshot above, the current publication date is 16 June 2022. This indicates that the article has been updated, most likely every year on the same day. As Billboard notes, it indeed is the case the article has been republished on the same day for a few years, “with slight modifications.”

According to the lawsuit, the estate sent a cease and desist to UMG and its website on 9 February 2022, threatening a lawsuit. The attorney claims that UMG “failed to meaningfully respond.” So, the estate has sued UMG this month. They seek a jury trial, an award of all profits UMG has made from the image use, and all the court fees. In addition, they seek damages and for the photo to be removed. According to Billboard, damages only could reach up to $150,000 per violation.

“Chi Modu’s photography captured moments of profundity and grace,” Scott Burroughs, attorney for the estate, says in a statement. “While it does not surprise me that it would appeal to Universal, we are disappointed that the company did not reach out to the Estate to procure a license before exploiting Mr. Modu’s work on its commercial website. We look forward to addressing this infringement in court.”

Tupac Shakur is only one of many big names that posed for Chi Modu. He captured the essence of the 1990s hip hop music, with artists like Biggie Smalls, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, and Dr. Dre in front of his lens. Other than taking some iconic photos, some of them ended up being album covers as well.

Let me remind you that this isn’t the first time Chi Modu’s estate has been in the middle of a legal battle this year. In fact, it’s the second one this month! Biggie Smalls estate sued Modu’s wife Sophia and a Swiss-based company Yes. Snowboards over using Chi Modu’s photo of Biggie on snowboards and NFTs.

[via PetaPixel]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Photographer sues Netflix for using his photo in “Stranger Things” without permission Photographer files lawsuit claiming Universal used photo without permission in new Steve Jobs biopic Photographer sues supermodel Bella Hadid for sharing his photo on Instagram without permission Photographer sues Microsoft for $150,000 for using her photos without permission

Filed Under: news Tagged With: copyright, lawsuit

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Five tips to improve your backlit portraits on location
I couldn’t find a weatherproof enclosure for a USB power bank on the Internet, so I made my own »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • AstrHori new 28mm f/13 2x Macro Periscope lens sees round corners
  • Sony World Photography Awards under fire for age limitations in Student contest
  • 5 ways to find inspiration when the weather is sad and grey
  • Photographers, keep an eye out for auroras around the world this weekend
  • How to make beautiful frozen soap bubble photos this winter

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy