Neil Zlozower, a prominent rock photographer known for his iconic images of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen, has filed a lawsuit against Warner Records. The suit, lodged in a Los Angeles federal court, alleges that Warner Records infringed upon Zlozower’s copyright by posting one of his photographs of Tom Petty on Facebook.
The photograph in question, featuring a 1970s-era Tom Petty seated in front of a record player, was allegedly shared in 2020 on the official Facebook page for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, which is purportedly managed by Warner. Zlozower’s legal team contends that Warner failed to secure proper copyright clearance before using the image.
In the complaint, filed on July 23, Zlozower’s attorney, Craig Sanders, accuses Warner of gross negligence in its copyright management practices. Sanders asserts that the lack of adequate internal policies for verifying copyright ownership reflects a serious lapse in legal compliance, particularly for a company of Warner’s scale and expertise.
The lawsuit further argues that Warner’s alleged oversight constitutes “de facto willful infringement,” a serious charge under U.S. copyright law. Such infringements could potentially result in statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work.
Warner Records has yet to respond publicly to the lawsuit’s claims.
This lawsuit adds to Zlozower’s extensive history of legal actions. Over the past decade, he has filed a total of 57 copyright lawsuits, targeting various defendants across federal courts nationwide. These cases generally involve disputes over the unauthorized use of his extensive portfolio of photographs, which includes notable shots of Prince, Van Halen, and numerous other artists from his long and storied career.
