Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez is facing two federal lawsuits in the United States after allegedly posting photographs of herself taken by paparazzi on social media without authorization or payment of copyright fees.

The lawsuits were filed on Saturday, May 17, by photographer Edwin Blanco and photo licensing agency BackGrid USA. Both claim co-ownership of two images taken on January 4 outside the Amazon MGM Studios x Vanity Fair Party at the upscale Bar Marmont in Los Angeles, on the eve of the awards season.

According to the court filings, Jennifer Lopez posted the photos on her Instagram and X accounts on January 5 without permission from the rights holders.

The plaintiffs argue that the posts triggered widespread reposting by fan pages and fashion brands, including the designer of the faux fur coat Lopez wore in the images.

Attorney Peter Perkowski, representing Blanco and BackGrid, argued that Lopez’s use of the images was commercial in nature. “The unauthorized use of the images by Ms. Lopez was commercial, intended for self-promotion,” Perkowski wrote in the complaint.

The filing claims that Lopez used the photos to highlight her clothing, jewelry and brand partnerships, capitalizing on the publicity surrounding the event to promote her fashion affiliations and commercial relationships.

According to the lawsuits, representatives for Blanco and BackGrid contacted Jennifer Lopez’s team the following week regarding the alleged copyright infringement.

Perkowski stated that the parties engaged in “productive discussions” and reached a verbal monetary agreement, but Lopez never signed a written contract nor paid the agreed amount.

A precedent that complicates matters for Lopez

The complaints also reference a previous lawsuit filed against Lopez in 2019, when she was sued for posting an unauthorized paparazzi photo of herself with then-boyfriend Alex Rodriguez.

That case was voluntarily dismissed in 2020 but, according to the plaintiffs, served as notice of the legal requirements surrounding copyrighted images.

“This prior litigation put Ms. Lopez on notice regarding the legal requirements and potential consequences associated with using copyrighted images without proper authorization,” Perkowski said, accusing the singer of continuing a pattern of deliberate infringement.

Blanco and BackGrid allege willful copyright infringement under U.S. federal law, which could result in statutory damages of up to $150,000 per image.

Representatives for Jennifer Lopez did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday, May 19.

While the situation may seem unusual, similar lawsuits are common in the entertainment industry. Artists such as Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa and Justin Bieber have faced comparable legal actions for posting photos taken by paparazzi on social media.