Amy Louise Taylor, the rambunctious frontwoman of fervent punk outfit Amyl and the Sniffers, has filed an infringement lawsuit against photographer Jamie Nelson. Instead, she brought her suit in a California district court. The lawsuit stems from claims of inappropriate behavior involving Nelson. He illegally sold photographs from a Vogue magazine photoshoot without Taylor’s consent.
The photoshoot—inspired by inclusivity and culture—occurred in May, and the resulting gorgeous images graced the cover story of Vogue Portugal’s July issue. Taylor was enthusiastic about modeling during the photo shoot for W&RF. Closing with a bang, she confidently argues that she never licensed the images to Nelson for future sale or use outside their first-run publication. Although Taylor continued to deny permission for any additional use, Nelson apparently sought out licensing arrangements instead, which were repeatedly rejected.
As of September 15 th Taylor’s manager, Simone Ubaldi for direct negotiations, pushed back hard with Nelson. At the end of the day, Ubaldi just wanted to underscore that Taylor does not agree to the commercial use of images depicting her likeness as gallery art.
“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.” – Simone Ubaldi
Ubaldi pointed out that had Nelson been forthcoming about her intentions to commercialize the photos prior to the shoot, Taylor would have declined the opportunity altogether.
“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.” – Simone Ubaldi
Despite these clear communications, Taylor discovered on September 20 that Nelson was selling “fine art prints” of the images on her website. But Nelson didn’t stop there — she kept sharing these stunning images on her social media accounts. She accomplished this without going through any appropriate licensing or authorization.
The lawsuit claims that Nelson’s actions have likely caused confusion regarding Taylor’s endorsement of Nelson’s commercial endeavors. This kind of exploitation has reaped serious consequences for Taylor. She’s lost not just profits, but damage to her brand and business interests.
“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.” – court documents
The saga began back in July 2024. Ubaldi contacted Nelson and asked if he could set up a photoshoot with Taylor and her band to help promote their release of their latest album. On September 4, Nelson emailed a brief portfolio of photographs she wanted to sell as fine art prints.
According to court documents, this wasn’t the only time that Nelson requested licensing agreements. Each request was denied, and no contract was ever reached. This cockamamie theory of consent illustrates the absurdity at the center of Taylor’s lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Nelson aggravated Nelson’s exploitation. As a gift, she provided a custom ‘zine’ with edited (public/private) images only from the Vogue Portugal shoot.
As this important case develops, Amy Louise Taylor continues to stand up for her rights. She’s fighting for justice, she believes, for the unauthorized use of her likeness to make a commercial profit. The decision might have wide-reaching impact on the rights of artists and photographers, and the role granted to consent in commercial ventures.