The Strange World of Photo Rights: Why Ozzy Osbourne is Getting Sued Over Photos of Himself
February 10, 2024
The news that Ozzy Osbourne is being sued for posting photos of himself on social media highlights a crucial distinction that many people don't understand: the difference between copyright and publicity rights.
Imagine you're a professional speaker giving a keynote at a major industry conference. The event photographer takes photos of your presentation. Even though you're the subject of those photos, the photographer (or the event company) owns the copyright. They control how those specific photos can be used or shared.
BUT - and this is important - you still control your "right of publicity" - meaning you control how your name, image and likeness can be used commercially. The photographer can't sell online courses featuring those photos of you without your permission, even though they own the copyright to the photos.
This is exactly what's happening with Ozzy. The photographer owns the copyright to those specific photos, but Ozzy still owns his right of publicity - his control over how his likeness can be used commercially. The lawsuit claims Ozzy posted photos to his social media accounts that were taken by photographer Neil Zlozower, without obtaining proper licensing rights. While Ozzy might be the subject of the photos, Zlozower owns the copyright to those specific images. What makes this particularly interesting is that these images are being used on Ozzy's monetized social media accounts, which the lawsuit claims provide "significant financial benefits" to the rock star.
This is why we built Official AI. Our platform allows talent like Ozzy to create new authentic commercial content using their own right of publicity, without worrying about photo copyright issues. With Official AI, Ozzy could generate unlimited new images for social media, merchandising, and marketing - images that he would fully control.
The future of content isn't about fighting over old photos - it's about empowering talent to create new authentic content while maintaining control of their rights. We're building that future at Official AI.
If you're a creator, musician, athlete or brand dealing with similar challenges around rights and content creation, I'd love to chat. The world of intellectual property is complex, but we're here to help navigate it.
