September 2017. The heirs of British photographer Brian Duffy have filed a suit in the US against the Hard Rock Café for allegedly infringing his copyright to a photo he took of David Bowie for the cover of the LP Aladdin Sane, by using it several times in one of their hotels in Palm Springs.
150,000 dollars per infringement
Duffy, who died in 2010, took the photo in the early 1970s. His heirs maintain that the Hard Rock Café did not obtain permission to use it and are demanding 150,000 dollars for each individual infringement. The case is currently before the District Court in New York.
Heirs want 150,000 dollars for each photo used. That’s 300,000 dollars for the entrance lobby alone!