Khloe Kardashian is in trouble for doing what she does best on Instagram: sharing photos of herself. The reality-TV star is facing a lawsuit from the photo agency Xposure Photos for allegedly sharing an unlicensed image of theirs on Instagram.
The U.K.-based photo agency filed suit in California and states that Kardashian or someone on her team might have shared an image of her taken by Manual Munoz and subsequently licensed to the Daily Mail, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The complaint cites an image Kardashian reportedly shared on September 14, 2016, and goes on to say that the copyright information on the image was edited out. The agency is seeking an injunction, $25,000 in statutory damages, and profits resulting from the alleged licensing infringement.
At the heart of the issue for Xposure Photos is the fact that by sharing the image to her almost 70 million followers on Instagram, Kardashian cut into any potential profits the agency would likely have made by selling the photo elsewhere. “Kardashian’s Instagram post made the photograph immediately available to her nearly 67 million followers and others … who would otherwise be interested in viewing licensed versions of the photograph in the magazines and newspapers that are plaintiff’s customers,” Xposure Photos said in a statement to Us Weekly.
If $25,000 seems like a lot, consider this: Kardashian can reportedly earn up to $250,000 for a sponsored post on her social-media accounts, according to Us Weekly. Still, perhaps we’ll be seeing more selfies from here on out?