Rock band Amyl and the Sniffers have become embroiled in a legal battle over photoshoot rights between their lead singer and a photographer who has applied for the case to be thrown out.
Amy Taylor, the band’s frontwoman, had taken the photographer, Jamie Nelson, to court for selling fine art prints based on photos of Taylor.
Nelson has now countersued Taylor, her partner and the band for damage for allegedly infringing copyright by reposting the photos on Instagram, asking the judge to dismiss the case – which is being heard in Los Angeles – without a trial.
The case centres on Nelson’s photoshoot of Taylor in May 2025 for Vogue Portugal, a series titled “Champagne Problems”. Taylor’s court filing claims her manager, Simone Ubaldi, rejected Nelson’s request to sell the photos 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,” Ubaldi wrote, according to court documents.
Nelson in October posted the photos on social media and sold limited-edition prints priced from US$1,500 to US$18,000, according to her counterclaims, filed on 16 February in the California district court.
“This is a standard practice in the fine-art and editorial photography industry and part of [my] regular professional practice,” Nelson’s court filing reads.
The photographer has claimed she spent about US$20,000 on the Vogue shoot from her own pocket and had full copyright ownership.
Taylor’s lawyers took Nelson to court in December for “exploitation of her image,” claiming that only the singer’s fame gave the prints value and that she never permitted Nelson to use the photos for anything other than Vogue.
Her lawyers said they asked Nelson to stop selling the prints from the shoot and remove all the photos from her websites. Nelson has claimed she then demanded the band members take down the photos from the set from their online accounts but they continued to use them.
Taylor’s lawyer, Jonathan Pink, wrote in reply: “No one questioned your copyright interest, but likewise, no one provided to you Miss Taylor’s consent for use of her image in a commercial manner.”
Nelson claimed the band made money from posting her photos while they were touring. She said had suffered economic and reputational damage, with their reposts and comments discouraging people from buying her prints, losing her business opportunities and cutting the market value of her work.
“Artists should be able to publish, display, and sell their work without feeling pressure to relinquish their rights,” Nelson said in a statement.
“Independent artists often find themselves defending their rights against well-funded opponents … [and] face pressure to abandon their rights simply because of disparities in resources and influence.”
Nelson has accused Taylor, the band and Taylor’s partner of copyright infringement for allegedly reposting her photos, in a countersuit asking the judge to strike down Taylor’s case.
Nelson said she had also filed an “anti-SLAPP” motion, under laws designed to deter civil claims against people’s speech or expressive activity, “seeking protection of my First Amendment rights”. She is representing herself in court, she said, “due to the overwhelming cost of lengthy and complex legal proceedings”.
Nelson said she had separately filed for a restraining order against Taylor on 9 December to prevent civil harassment, which is pending and will be heard by the Los Angeles Superior Court on 6 March.
Taylor’s lawyer, Jonathan Pink, and the band’s manager have been contacted for comment. Pink told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation last week his team had worked for an amicable resolution, saying they were confident in their case while Nelson had “sought to needlessly escalate this fight”.
The singer’s complaint had alleged Nelson’s use of the photos meant Taylor would “continue to suffer” harm, including “lost profits and damages to her reputation, brand, and business interests”.
Taylor’s team on Friday filed documents to as part of the court process before further case management on 5 March. Nelson’s separate restraining order will be heard on 6 March.
