Volvo faces lawsuit over photos used in ad campaign

Automotive photographer Jack Schroeder and product Britni Sumida submitted a lawsuit from Volvo, alleging that the automaker utilised Schroeder’s images showcasing Sumida and a Volvo S60 without the need of authorization.

The 20-website page lawsuit, submitted Tuesday in federal courtroom in Los Angeles, contends Volvo Group North The us LLC took 11 images from Schroeder’s Instagram website page and web-site without the need of permission and utilised them in its have Instagram tales and Pinterest website page.

The images included inbound links directing consumers to a web-site website page devoted to the S60, the accommodate alleges.

6 months prior, Volvo had commented on Schroeder’s Instagram write-up inquiring to license the images with no payment, in accordance to the lawsuit. Schroeder emailed Volvo a week later featuring to “negotiate a license” and included a link to his web-site but received no reaction, the accommodate alleges.

The lawsuit also alleges that Volvo did not take down all of the images from its social media webpages just after Schroeder emailed inquiring the automaker to do so. Volvo denied that its use of the images was improper just after the corporation was despatched a stop-and-desist letter, the accommodate reported.

In a assertion emailed to Automotive Information, Russell Datz, nationwide media relations manager at Volvo, reported: “Volvo Automobile United states is informed of the criticism and will vigorously defend the lawsuit.”

Jeff Gluck, a law firm symbolizing Schroeder and Sumida, reported in an email to Automotive Information that the plaintiffs “request to enforce their rights and protect their livelihoods.”

“They will not cower to corporate bullying or low-priced intimidation tactics,” he reported.

In addition, the accommodate alleges that Porch Household Photos, a production corporation Schroeder has labored with, took and posted on Instagram a 20-2nd movie of Schroeder and Sumida’s picture shoot. Volvo despatched “an aggressive and daunting letter” threatening to sue the corporation for putting up a movie exhibiting Volvo’s brand, the accommodate alleges.

The lawsuit additional contends that Volvo’s use of the images damaged Sumida’s potential to do do the job for a different automaker. She also has accomplished modeling do the job for Timex, Hurley and Chase financial institution.

“Volvo’s unauthorized industrial exploitation of the images is specially harmful mainly because Ms. Sumida had been employed to star in an ad campaign for a distinct key motor vehicle corporation, and her contract contained a provision blocking her from doing the job for other vehicle brands,” the accommodate reported.

The plaintiffs are in search of damages such as service fees incurred from pursuing the lawsuit. The accommodate also calls for Volvo quickly clear away all actual physical and electronic copies of Schroeder’s images and pay out the defendants any proceeds built from the utilization. The lawsuit additional seeks implementation of actions that will stop Volvo from partaking in “wrongful perform.”