![\"Amy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/0b6699ba17b1c66439406bb48505a792.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nWhen Amy Taylor, the lead singer of Aussie punk band Amyl and the Sniffers, agreed to do a shoot with photographer Jamie Nelson, she understood the pictures would only appear in Vogue Portugal.<\/p>\n
But Nelson had other ideas.<\/p>\n
And now the argument between a rock star and a photographer over who controls the rights to the image series, which Nelson titled Champagne Problems, is playing out in a California court on September 9 (local time).<\/p>\n
The photographer emailed Taylor’s manager Simone Ubaldi after publication of the photos and accompanying story in Vogue, proposing a “fine art collection” of the pictures and offering a percentage.<\/p>\n
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Amy Taylor says she believed the photo shoot with Jamie Nelson was exclusively for Vogue Portugal. (Supplied: Jamie Nelson)<\/p>\n
Taylor refused \u2014 and also refused Nelson’s suggestion of paying her out for the images.<\/p>\n
Nelson went ahead and offered the photos for sale through her website and social media pages anyway, for between $US1,500 ($2,100) and $US18,000 ($25,000).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suit and counter-suit<\/p>\n
After emails from Ubaldi asking Nelson to remove the photos from sale and a legal “cease and desist” letter had no effect, Taylor filed a lawsuit<\/a>, alleging misappropriation of her likeness, misappropriation of publicity, and false association.<\/p>\n Nelson filed a restraining order and a counter-suit, alleging copyright infringement and use of her work without permission.<\/p>\n The photographer also filed an anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) motion, typically used to try to combat restrictions against the right to free speech, the First Amendment to the US Constitution.<\/p>\n Photo shoot goes to court<\/a><\/p>\n A photo shoot with champagne, ice cream and humorous glamour shots of Amy Taylor, singer from punk band Amyl and the Sniffers, has escalated into a bitter legal fight.<\/p>\n The restraining order \u2014 which, had it been granted, could have restricted Taylor’s ability to travel to and tour the US \u2014 was dismissed.<\/p>\n And the anti-SLAPP suit was also dismissed with a portion of costs awarded to Taylor.<\/p>\n But the original suit filed by Taylor and the copyright counter-suit are ongoing.<\/p>\n Nelson’s counter-suit relates to copies of her photos that were shared by Taylor and Amyl and the Sniffers on Instagram and Facebook.<\/p>\n After Taylor filed her lawsuit petitioning for Nelson to stop selling photos of her, the photographer complained.<\/p>\n And because the photos were not immediately deleted, Nelson argues Taylor and the band were in breach of copyright law.<\/p>\n There was no explicit contract signed before the shoot \u2014 just emails between Ubaldi and Nelson.<\/p>\n Nelson claims she is fighting for artists and their rights to make a living from their work and has even created a line of merch, selling her argument that, as a photographer and an artist, she retains copyright of the images and Taylor has no say in how they are marketed or used.<\/p>\n Taylor’s argument is that by her image being sold and used for marketing purposes, it implies support, which she has not given.\u00a0<\/p>\n Amy Taylor and Jamie Nelson, right, each say, if they’d known how things would play out, they would not have done a photo shoot together. (Supplied: Jamie Nelson)<\/p>\n A ‘very strange’ case<\/p>\n Senior lecturer at UTS law school Sarah Hook, who teaches media and copyright law, explained that Taylor’s case was being brought under a US federal law called the Lanham Act, which considers trademarks and subjects like false advertising.<\/p>\n Dr Hook said it was a “very strange” case with similarities to recent cases where celebrities were trying to take action against deepfakes online.<\/p>\n “These issues don’t often make it to court because they normally would have, especially for celebrities and photographers, watertight agreements where they’ve made provisions for dissemination,” she said.<\/p>\n “So [usually] there would be maybe an implied licence for a celebrity to reissue that photograph, or the magazine that has contracted the photographer might ask the photographer to assign the rights over so that they have complete control over that image.\u00a0<\/p>\n “It’s very rare that this type of case does come to court.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Taylor Swift faces trademark lawsuit<\/a><\/p>\n Las Vegas performer Maren Wade says the name and imagery of Taylor Swift’s latest album are too close to those of her show, Confessions of a Showgirl.<\/p>\n Part of Nelson’s argument is that her photos are more than just a commercial product; they are works of art.<\/p>\n “She’s saying it’s her skills as a photographer she’s selling, an expressive piece rather than trying to just ride on the coat-tails of a celebrity,” Dr Hook said.<\/p>\n “There is that contest between the framing of this because, obviously, people that are buying the pictures, are they buying it as a piece of fine art or are they buying it because they like the band?\u00a0<\/p>\n “If they’re buying it because they like the band, are they confused as to whether the band has approved this or endorses this? Or did they not care?”<\/p>\n Dr Hook said ultimately it will be up to the court to decide.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Is this really about protecting someone’s ability to express themselves through their art, or is this about somebody that’s really trying to make a buck off somebody else’s celebrity?”\u00a0<\/p>\n See you in court<\/p>\n Court-ordered mediation failed after Nelson refused Taylor’s settlement offer.<\/p>\n Nelson told the ABC that she wanted her day in court.<\/p>\n “For me to settle would be to let go of the whole thing, of everything I’m fighting for, for everybody,” she said.<\/p>\n “Even if somebody was like, ‘Well, we’ll give you a million dollars to go away right now,’ I couldn’t do it because it’s become such a big deal and it’s so important to get this squared away.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cb7f5f3409e578bce9f9d255d8d706e5.jpeg\")
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