Breaking News: Guns N’ Roses Faces Copyright Lawsuit and Manager Accused of Harassment Scandal!
Guns N’ Roses and its management team find themselves embroiled in a legal battle as photographer Katarina Benzova files a lawsuit against them, citing copyright infringement and workplace sexual harassment. Benzova alleges that the band and Team Brazil, its management company, wrongfully claimed ownership of her photographs, leading to widespread unauthorized use in various media platforms, ad campaigns, and more. Moreover, Benzova accuses GnR’s manager, Fernando Lebeis, of making numerous unwelcome sexual advances towards her in a workplace environment devoid of any sexual harassment policies or training.
The legal tit-for-tat intensified as Guns N’ Roses retaliated with a lawsuit against Benzova, alleging that she improperly registered her photos with the Copyright Office and falsely accused them of copyright infringement. The band seeks to invalidate Benzova’s registrations and assert their ownership of the copyrights to the subject photographs and videos. Guns N’ Roses maintained that Benzova was engaged to provide tour photography services from 2010 and was compensated adequately, only raising ownership claims after their collaboration ended in 2022.
Benzova claimed to have freelanced for Guns N’ Roses for 12 years, working without a formal contract for most of the time. She alleged that during the uncontracted period, the band commercialized a significant number of her photographs without her authorization, leading to multiple instances of infringement and unauthorized usage in various mediums. Benzova sought a court order to establish her sole ownership of all photographs taken since 2010 when she wasn’t under a written contract with Guns N’ Roses.
In her lawsuit, Benzova also detailed instances where GnR and Team Brazil habitually infringed upon her copyrights and belittled her claim to ownership. She accused Lebeis of committing numerous acts of sexual harassment, including unwelcome physical advances and sending lewd text messages and images. Despite rejecting his advances, Benzova alleged that Lebeis resorted to hostile behavior, such as reducing her compensation, withholding owed money, and intentionally withholding photo credits to assert dominance over her.
On the other hand, Guns N’ Roses countered by claiming that from the beginning, Benzova had signed agreements declaring the rights to her work would be owned by various touring affiliates. They stated that Benzova’s engagement was governed by written agreements modified orally over the years, transferring copyrights to different entities associated with the band. In response to the sexual harassment allegations, the band has yet to issue a formal statement addressing the claims made by Benzova against Lebeis.
The legal battle between Guns N’ Roses and photographer Katarina Benzova is unfolding as a complex narrative encompassing copyright ownership disputes and allegations of workplace harassment. As the two parties engage in a legal showdown, the music industry watches closely to see how this case will impact the relationship between artists, photographers, and management teams in the future.
