Amyl & The Sniffers lead vocalist Amy Louise Taylor has sued a US photographer over “exploitation of her image”.
Taylor filed the complaint in the district court of California, accusing photographer Jamie Nelson of selling pictures taken for a Vogue Portugal photoshoot as “fine art prints” without her permission.
Court documents detail that the issue began in July 2024, when the band’s manager, Simone Ubaldi, reached out to Nelson to photograph the band for their upcoming album, ‘Cartoon Darkness’.
However, the shoot later fell through, after the band “expressly communicated” to Nelson that they didn’t want her to use their name, image and likeness to promote her own photography business, and to sell merchandise, including “fine art prints”, per documents obtained by the Guardian.
“As explained to Ms. Nelson, the Band was zealously protective of their image and did not want these used for non-Band-sanctioned, private commercial purposes such as Ms. Nelson had proposed. As a result, the photo shoot was never conducted,” the complaint reads.
Months later, Nelson allegedly contacted Taylor, requesting to photograph her “with the express intention that the resulting images … would be published exclusively in the July 2025 issue of Vogue Portugal,” the documents claim.
Taylor agreed to the photoshoot, but allegedly “at no point” authorised or licensed Nelson the right to make any other commercial use beyond the exclusive magazine issue.
The photoshoot occurred in May, and the images appeared in the July issue of Vogue Portugal. However, per the filings, on September 4, Nelson sent Taylor and Ubaldi a presentation of selected images that Nelson indicated she wanted to sell as “fine art prints” on her website.
“Immediately” after receiving Nelson’s proposal, Ubaldi claims to have informed Nelson that Taylor objected to such use of her image and explained that Nelson did not have Taylor’s licence or permission to sell the photos as “fine art prints” or “zines” and that “the only permitted use of the same had been for inclusion in Vogue Portugal”.
Taylor alleged that Nelson was “well aware of [her] antipathy to such an expanded exploitation of her image” and that no agreement existed authorising Nelson to sell copies of the photoshoot.
Per the documents, Nelson continued to seek a license from Taylor on multiple occasions, to which Taylor “rejected each such request, and no such agreement was ever reached”.
Ubaldi also reportedly wrote to Nelson on September 15, saying: “We are not interested in a buyout of these images.
“If you had been transparent with her in advance of the shoot about your desire/intentions to sell the photos, she would have said no to the shoot,” Ubaldi allegedly wrote. “If you had any notion or desire to sell pictures of [Taylor] to recoup your costs, you should have disclosed this beforehand. We simply would have said no to the shoot.”
Filings go on to say that on September 20, Taylor discovered that Nelson was selling “fine art prints” containing the pictures on her website, and using the photos to promote her commercial enterprises.
“Moreover, after the foregoing interactions, [Nelson] expanded their exploitation … by offering a specially designed ‘zine’ that consisted exclusively of both published and unpublished images from the Vogue Portugal article,” the complaint stated.
“Not only was this done without Ms. Taylor’s permission and in direct contravention of her wishes, but it appears to have been done in retaliation of Ms. Taylor’s demands that [Nelson] stop their unlawful exploitation of Ms. Taylor’s name, image and likeness for [her] commercial interest,” the documents allege.
Nelson’s Instagram and Facebook accounts continue to feature Taylor’s images without licence or authorisation from her, the complaint claims.
The complaint stated that fans recognise Taylor’s likeness for its “rebellious spirit and blend of a distinctive Australian ‘pub rock’ aesthetic – featuring mullets, footy shorts, and an unrefined style – with the style of 1970s punk”.
“Accordingly, Ms. Taylor has built a substantial fan following based upon not only her musical talent, but also her image and personal brand,” the complaint continues. It goes on to alledge that Nelson’s use of Taylor’s image has been likely to “cause confusion or mistake, or to deceive” regarding Taylor’s endorsement of Nelson’s commercial activities.
It also alleges Taylor will “continue to suffer” harm, including “lost profits and damages to her reputation, brand, and business interests”.
NME has reached out to Nelson for comment. She has yet to respond formally to the claim.
In other news, Amyl & The Sniffers’ recently picked up bar tabs of $35,000 for fans in Melbourne, after their free show was cancelled at the last minute.
Last year, Amyl & The Sniffers spoke to NME about their growing fanbase and how they found the inspiration for ‘Cartoon Darkness’.
“We’ve evolved in so many different ways,” said drummer Bryce Wilson. “Further than pub rock or punk rock kinda thing. Not better or worse or anything, just different branches of a tree.”
Speaking about how their latest album saw them tackle wider societal issues, including prejudice and sexism, Taylor added: “I was intimidated by politics. I didn’t grow up around it that much. I finished high school, but barely. It’s really easy to feel kind of ashamed of yourself for not being sure how to get your foot in it, or to get the confidence to speak out about stuff.
“I don’t just wanna be singing about crap. The world’s filled with junk – layers and layers and layers of junk. Pointless crap. I don’t wanna be contributing to that.”