H. Jay Spiegel of H. Jay Spiegel & Associates, P.C. of Mt. Vernon, VA is representing Patricia ("Pat") Lopez, a long-time freelance courtroom sketch artist in a suit against the Associated Press (AP) and stock photo agency Getty Images for reselling her work in violation of her copyright.
According to Spiegel, Lopez earns $300 to $500 for her sketches but retains the copyright. Allegedly the AP and Getty violated the copyright by reselling her work to the public, at prices up to $12,000 for a one-month license, according to the complaint.
Apparently AP and Getty are entitled to use of the sketches in any ongoing news coverage of the cases that Lopez has sketched, but that right does not extend to selling those images commercially.
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