Guns N’ Roses are being sued by a photographer for copyright infringement and sexual harassment
The lawsuit details multiple cases of copyright infringement, and accuses GNR’s tour manager of sexual harassment.
Credit: Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses and their touring team are being sued for copyright infringement and sexual harassment.
In a document detailing the lawsuit, photographer and plaintiff Katarina Benzova is suing Guns N’ Roses, Gundam Touring Services, Gundam Productions, Team Brazil and Fernando Lebeis for damages as a result of copyright infringement in conjunction with workplace sexual harassment.
According to the lawsuit document (obtained through Law360), Benzova worked with GNR as an independent contractor on and off for twelve years, for a total of 364 shows or 30 “legs” of the tour, even though she was only formally contracted to work for “four legs”, amounting to 18 weeks.
It continues to explain that while both under contract and not contract “The Defendants arrogantly disobeyed Benzova’s rights and intents,” which included ignoring copyright law, encouraging fraud and “egregiously” infringing upon at least 145 of Benzova’s photographs within the last year.
The photographer explains that this “egregious” case of copyright infringement extends to using her photographs through the “reproduction, public display, distribution, creation of derivative works, and holding out of Benzova’s photographs for licenses and to third party publications after termination of any right to do so, as well as contrary to the express intents of Benzova”.
Apparently, this infringement extends to distributing altered CMI of these photos to falsely claim ownership.
Additionally since 2016, the document details that “Benzova escaped numerous unwelcome sexual advances from Fernando Lebeis,” who is the current tour manager for GNR. “She endured consistent pervasive sexual harassment by Lebeis – all within in a workplace environment that was completely devoid of any sexual harassment policy.”
As a result she is seeking to claim statutory and actual damages, and all profits made by the defendant on her behalf.
Guns N’ Roses and the other defendants have yet to comment.