In a time when everything is on the web, it can be difficult to police who has access to your image or information, especially if you’re a celebrity. The general public sometimes feels they should automatically be privy to a celeb’s personal life, and photographers make a killing off of shots of the famous.
If you’re a business or web-based company, it’s best to cover your butt when using any image, as any blogger will tell you. Copyright laws are getting more and more strict by the day as people discover their images are being used without permission and start getting judges involved.
That’s what’s happening with George Clooney and Julia Roberts, who say their images were used without their consent to sell high-end film projectors for two different companies: Digital Projection, Inc. and Beyond Audio. Both companies used the stars’ images to sell their goods online and in magazine ads but are not related and are operated out of Georgia and Canada, respectively.
The stars retain services from different law firms but filed the suit together and are seeking unspecified amounts in damages.