Source: Peter White / Getty / Kanye West / Bianca Censori
Kanye West is learning the hard way about posting photos of himself he doesn’t own.
Spotted on XXL, the Chicago rapper is being sued for posting photos of himself and his wife/mannequin, Bianca Censori, without permission from BackGrid USA, Inc. and Backgrid London.
Per XXL:
Documents obtained by XXL show that on Aug. 8, BackGrid USA, Inc. and Backgrid London Ltd filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Ye. They allege that the Yeezy mogul used photographs on his Instagram account without the company’s permission. One of the photos in question shows West in all black while Censori walks next to him in a sheer, nude outfit while holding a purple pillow. Another pic features West and Censori at Milan’s Nuova Arena Restaurant back in February, and a third features Censori going on a shopping spree with Ye at the Balenciaga store.
According to the website, the rapper, now known as Ye, violated federal copyright law by using 10 photos without permission on his website and social accounts.
Cam’ron Also Was Sued For A Similar Situation
If this incident sounds familiar, that’s because something similar happened to Dipset co-founder and It Is What It Is host Cam’ron.
Killa Cam was ordered to pay a photographer $50,000 for his unauthorized use of a photograph. The photo in question was the iconic photo of Cam rocking a pink fur coat and headband while using a pink flip phone.
The photo’s owner, Djamilla Cochran, sued Cam’ron and his company, Dipset Couture, in April 2023 for using the photo on merchandise without permission.
In that case, the judge ruled, “The court finds that a statutory damages award of seven times the licensing fee is sufficient to compensate the plaintiff for the infringement of her copyright and to deter future infringements by punishing the defendants.”
We won’t be shocked if Ye suffers the same fate.
