Drake faces backlash as a famend photographer claims the rapper copied his acclaimed picture for the What Did I Miss video.

Drake is being accused of lifting a National Geographic photographer’s acclaimed gun-themed portrait for his “What Did I Miss” music video, in keeping with a sweeping federal copyright lawsuit that claims the rapper hijacked the picture’s format, symbolism, and visible model with out permission.

The criticism, filed by Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti, alleges that the July 4 launch intentionally recreated his “Ameriguns” portrait, right down to the association of weapons, the topic’s pose beside a pool, the structure within the background, and the lighting placement.

Galimberti, a longtime National Geographic contributor and World Press Photo winner, says the video’s manufacturing staff copied the photograph so carefully that viewers on social media started tagging him earlier than he even knew in regards to the scene.

Court filings embrace a side-by-side comparability and argue the recreation was so precise that it implied an official collaboration, regardless of no contact, contract, or licensing association.

The photographer’s “Ameriguns” challenge options U.S. gun house owners amid their private arsenals, organized in meticulous geometric patterns. The swimsuit says the video scene not solely mimicked this composition but in addition used Independence Day as its launch date to bolster the affiliation with the challenge’s themes.

According to the submitting, the phase seems for greater than a minute and a half of the four-minute video and has earned important views and monetization since its premiere. Galimberti argues that the unauthorized use broken the worth of his work, distorted the general public’s notion of his profession and tied him to a music video he by no means accepted.

The swimsuit targets Drake, OVO Sound, Republic Records, Universal music Group, and unnamed defendants, accusing them of direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement. It seeks damages, income, and an injunction stopping additional distribution of the video.

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