Photog Sues Playboy/Playmate over a high school portrait

[dynamike]

Here's an article I came across today that I thought would be interesting for comment.

Photog Sues Playboy/Playmate over a high school portrait
--Courthouse News

Placerville, California [Courthouse News] - Carla Calkins, a woman
who runs the Placerville, Calif., Mother Lode photo studio with her
husband has sued Playboy Magazine and Miss December 2003 Colleen
Shannon in Sacramento Federal Court, claiming they violated copyright
by publishing without permission Shannon's 1996 high school senior
portrait as part of the centerfold "biography."

According to the suit, Calkins alleges that her husband photographed
Shannon for her high school year portrait, a reproduction of which
appeared in Playboy's December 2003 issue.

According to court documents the reproduction was done without the
Calkins' permission and that Calkins' husbandregistered the
photograph with the Copyright office on February 5, 2004. The lawsuit
also alleges that Shannon "colluded" with Playboy to infringe the
copyright.

The suit seeks one-time licensing fee damages and payment for
additional usage of the photo that may subsequently be discovered. It
also asks that Playboy be disgorged of all profits attributed to the
infringement, plus attorneys fees and court costs.