Kanye West is the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by BackGrid USA, Inc. and Backgrid London Ltd.
The complaint alleges that he used photographs of a series of snaps featuring Kanye West and his second wife, Bianca Censori.
One image shows West in all black with his face down while Censori strolls in a nude sheer outfit clutching a purple pillow.
“Yall know who ran the summer,” the caption read.
Another picture features West and Censori arriving at Milan’s Nuova Arena Restaurant in February.
A third photo features him entering the Balenciaga store to treat Censori to a shopping spree with the caption “flex.” Some of the pictures were posted on his Instagram feed, while others were shared as posts in his Instagram stories.
In total, West is being sued for illegally posting 10 images of himself and his wife.
BackGrid asserts that Kanye West reproduced, distributed and displayed these photographs without consent on his Instagram accounts and the Yeezy website, thereby violating federal copyright law.
The lawsuit says West engaged in unauthorized use of the photographs, which led to financial gains and increased traffic to West’s online platforms.
BackGrid, having attempted to resolve the dispute amicably before litigation, now seeks substantial damages, including statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work and attorney’s fees and injunctive relief. In total, BackGrid is looking to squeeze at least $1.5 million out of Kanye West.