The lead singer of an Australian pub rock and punk band has accused a photographer of “exploitation of her image” and is suing her in a United States court.

Amy Louise Taylor, the lead vocalist of award-winning Melbourne band Amyl and the Sniffers has filed a complaint in the district court of California, accusing photographer Jamie Nelson of selling pictures taken for a Vogue magazine photoshoot as “fine art prints” without her permission.

The complaint reveals that the saga began in July 2024, when the band’s manager, Simone Ubaldi, contacted Nelson requesting she photograph them for their upcoming album.

However, the shoot fell through in August when the band “expressly communicated” to Nelson it didn’t want her using their name, image and likeness to promote her own photography business, and to sell merchandise, including “fine art prints”, the document states.

“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.”

Months later, towards the end of March, Nelson contacted Taylor to request that she pose for a photoshoot “with the express intention that the resulting images … would be published exclusively in the July 2025 issue of Vogue Portugal”, court documents state.

Taylor agreed to pose, but “at no point” authorised or licensed Nelson the right to make any other commercial use beyond the exclusive magazine issue, the complaint alleged.

The photoshoot occurred in May and the images from that shoot appeared in the July issue of Vogue Portugal as planned.

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However, on 4 September Nelson sent Taylor and Ubaldi a presentation of selected images that Nelson indicated she wanted to sell as “fine art prints” on her websites.

“Immediately” after receiving Nelson’s proposal, Ubaldi 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, the court documents state.

Nelson continued to seek a licence from Taylor, who “rejected each such request, and no such agreement was ever reached”, the documents state.

Making Taylor’s rejection of Nelson’s “efforts to exploit the [photoshoot for] commercial purposes perfectly clear”, Ubaldi wrote to Nelson on 15 September: “We are not interested in a buyout of these images … I cannot be clearer about this – [Taylor] does not want you to sell images of her face, or her body as fine art prints.

“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. 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.”

But on 20 September, Taylor discovered that Nelson was selling “fine art prints” containing the pictures on her website, and using the photos to promote her commercial enterprises, court documents state.

“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,” it alleged.

Nelson’s Instagram and Facebook accounts continue to feature Taylor’s images without licence or authorisation from her, the complaint alleges.

The complaint stated that “fans recognize Ms. 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 alleges 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”.

Nelson has been contacted for comment.