Amy Louise Taylor, lead vocalist of Australian punks Emil and the Snifferssued an American photographer for “exploitation of her image.”
In a lawsuit filed in California district court, Taylor accused photographer Jamie Nelson of selling photographs taken from Vogue Portugal photo shoot as “reproductions” without the permission of the musician.
According to documents received GuardianNelson was first approached by band manager Simone Ubaldi in 2024 to photograph Emil and The Sniffers for their album. Cartoon Dark. The shoot later fell through after they “explicitly told” the photographer they did not want their name, image or likeness used to promote her business or sell products.
“As Ms. Nelson explained, the group jealously protected its image and did not want them to be used for private commercial purposes that were not authorized by the group, as Ms. Nelson proposed,” the complaint states. “As a result, the photo shoot never took place.”
However, several months later, Nelson allegedly approached Taylor about photographing her “with the express intention that the resulting images… would be published exclusively in the July 2025 issue of the magazine.” Vogue Portugal“, according to the application. Taylor agreed, but reportedly did not “under any circumstances” allow or license Nelson to use the photographs for any commercial use other than the magazine.
After the images were published in the July issue, on September 4, Nelson allegedly contacted Taylor and Ubaldi with a presentation of select images that the photographer wanted to sell as “fine art prints” on her website. Ubaldi claims he “immediately” told Nelson that Taylor objected to this use of her image and that she did not have permission to sell copies of the photographs.
Apparently, Nelson continued to repeatedly approach Taylor for a license, with the singer turning down each request. However, on September 20, Taylor discovered that Nelson had gone further and listed “fine art reproductions” containing Vogue Portugal photographs for sale on her website, and also offers a “magazine” consisting solely of published and unpublished images from the shoot.
“Not only was this done without Ms. Taylor's permission and in direct contravention of her wishes, but it appears to have been done in response to Ms. Taylor's demands that [Nelson] cease the unlawful use of Ms. Taylor's name, image and likeness for [her] commercial interest,” the document says.
The lawsuit alleges Nelson continued to post images of Taylor on her Instagram and Facebook accounts without a license or permission from the musician, which it claims could “cause confusion or error or deceive” people into thinking she has Taylor's support. It also claims she will “continue to suffer” harm, including “lost profits and damage to her reputation, brand and business interests.”
