"According to court documents obtained by Complex, New York-based photo agency August Image LLC filed the suit on behalf of photographer Timothy White, whose 1988 portrait of a young Jay-Z sits at the center of the dispute. The photo, showing Jay-Z seated against a plain white backdrop in a striped red-and-navy sweatshirt, red pants, and heavy gold jewelry, is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office and exclusively licensed through August."
"The lawsuit states Brooklyn gallery AM:PM created and sold stylized figurines called "Jaybois" sometime around 2020. Court exhibits include screenshots from AM:PM's Instagram accounts, including a page dedicated specifically to the figurines, showing the toys posed at landmarks such as Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Bridge, and even alongside a KAWS figure. August alleges that AM:PM not only sold the "Jaybois" without permission but also used Timothy White's exact photograph on social media to market the toys, reproducing and publicly displaying the image without authorization."
August Image LLC filed a federal copyright lawsuit on behalf of photographer Timothy White over a 1988 portrait of a young Jay‑Z. The image depicts Jay‑Z seated against a white backdrop in a striped red‑and‑navy sweatshirt, red pants, and heavy gold jewelry, and is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office and exclusively licensed through August. Brooklyn gallery AM:PM allegedly created and sold stylized collectible figurines called "Jaybois" around 2020 and used White's photograph on social media to promote them. August asserts AM:PM copied, reproduced, displayed, distributed, and created unauthorized derivative works from the photograph. August seeks a jury trial and statutory damages and contends that it had no reason to know of the uses until recently, a point raised to toll the statute of limitations.
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