We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Vampire Weekend sued by Contra cover model
Topic Started: Jul 16 2010, 12:45 AM (208 Views)
Riverwide
Member Avatar
Administrator
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
God I HATE greedy, lawsuit-happy Americans. It makes me SICK! :rant:


http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/07/15/vampire-weekend-contra-lawsuit/

A faintly smiling young woman wearing a yellow Ralph Lauren shirt became instantly famous earlier this year when a vintage photo of her appeared on the front cover of Vampire Weekend‘s chart-topping Contra album. Now someone has come forward as the heretofore anonymous model — and she’s hitting the indie rockers with a multi-million dollar lawsuit, claiming they used the image without her permission.

In papers filed yesterday in an L.A. court, Ann Kirsten Kennis says that the photo was taken around 1983, when she was working as “a high-fashion model under contract with prestigious agencies in New York City.” (Hat tip to TMZ for first reporting the suit today.) The lawsuit claims that the signature on the release form for the photo was forged. Kennis is asking the band, label XL Recordings, and photographer Tod Brody for at least $2 million for this alleged misappropriation of identity, arguing that “the album design, in which the Photograph is featured prominently, was a substantial factor in generating recognition and buzz for the Contra album, thus increasing sales and profits.”

A rep for the band tells EW they have no comment at this time. A phone call to Kennis’ attorney was not immediately returned. We’ll update you if and when we hear anything more. ‘Til then, what do you think of this story?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Beautiful Stranger
Member Avatar
Pensioner
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Greedy Americans? If all the accusations are true she should take Vampire Weekend to the cleaners. And I like them, mind you.

These "indie" bands and their fans trash mainstream music constantly because of pop acts "borrowing" imagery and past sounds yet suddenly they're allowed to STEAL photographs and FORGE signatures on release forms?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mats
Member Avatar
IN THE CENTRE OF A RING JUST LIKE A CIRCUS
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
this is hardly anything to sue over. she could've asked for a settlement behind the scenes, I am sure they could've worked something out. bands and musicians use pictures other than their own all the time; I'm sure they would've asked for permission if they had known who she is
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mats
Member Avatar
IN THE CENTRE OF A RING JUST LIKE A CIRCUS
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
wait I did not see the bit about the forged signature. that is not very nice, Vampire Weekend
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Riverwide
Member Avatar
Administrator
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Nobody is saying that Vampire Weekend themselves forged the release signature. Probably some minion behind the scenes did that, not thinking that anyone would actually be suing over something as TRAUMATIC as having a nice picture of you used as an album cover. The poor woman. What a dreadful thing to happen!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mats
Member Avatar
IN THE CENTRE OF A RING JUST LIKE A CIRCUS
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
she's probably more known now than she ever was with said 'prestigious' agencies
Edited by Mats, Jul 16 2010, 11:57 AM.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Riverwide
Member Avatar
Administrator
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
More details from Entertainment Weekly...

Former model Ann Kirsten Kennis was surprised to see her face on the front cover of Vampire Weekend‘s Contra when her teenage daughter brought the album home this year. “Her daughter came home one day and said, ‘Hi, Mom, see your picture?’” attorney Alan Neigher, who is representing Kennis in her $2 million lawsuit against the band for allegedly using her image without permission, tells EW.

Kennis retired from modeling years ago and now lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughter. According to her lawyer, the photo was taken in 1983, but not as part of her professional career. “It was taken by her family,” Neigher says. “It was a Polaroid, not a modeling picture.” So how did it wind up on the cover of a No. 1 hit album? Kennis isn’t sure. “Her mother was a chronic Polaroid snapshot taker, and used to sell whole archives of photographs to these shops, five bucks a hundred or whatever,” says Neigher. “Her mother may have given away to a charity bazaar a whole ream of photographs. We just really don’t know…She has no idea how that photograph got into the photographer’s hands.”

“The photographer” is Tod Brody, who is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit. He laughed out loud when told of Kennis’ story. “Ms. Kennis’ claim that I didn’t take the photo is blatantly false,” Brody tells EW. “I took the photo in 1983. The photo was in my possession the entire time, for 26 years, until it was delivered to Vampire Weekend.” Brody declined further comment, citing his own attorneys’ advice.

Vampire Weekend has yet to comment on the case. After hearing both stories, who do you think is in the right here? Weigh in below.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Music Discussion · Next Topic »

Theme by Sith of the ZBTZ and Outline