Picture: Young child playing in fountain at Mission Plaza, San Luis Obispo, California
Last week, PDN PULSE reported the case of a photographer who was sued by a woman he had photographed years before. In this case, when the photos were taken, the woman was actually a young girl. Fast forward; she finds her picture being used on the packaging for a disposable camera. She sues the agency that sold the photograph, the camera company, and the photographer. The lawsuit is tossed out of court because the photographer had a properly signed model release. The release was not signed by the woman herself, but rather, since she was a child at the time the photo was taken, the release was signed by her mother (read: legal guardian).
File this one under “Nice try. Too bad.”
I’m sure that moments after the judge’s gavel came down for the last time, this woman must have been muttering under her breath, “Thanks, Mom!”
I think people in our country are too eager to sue. Probably due to the cost of living. Personally if my image were used in a package or ad w/o a model release, I probably woudln’t care as long as I looked reasonably handsome in the image.