Jennifer Lopez is once again at the center of a legal dispute over a photo posted to her Instagram. Photographer Steve Sands has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the singer and actress, alleging she posted one of his images without permission in 2017.

The photo in question shows Lopez in costume as Harlee Santos, her character from the NBC crime drama Shades of Blue. It was shared on her Instagram account on June 22, 2017, and has since garnered over 650,000 likes. According to court documents, Sands claims neither Lopez nor her production company, Nuyorican Productions, obtained a license to use the image nor sought his approval. He’s seeking up to $150,000 in statutory damages.

This isn’t unfamiliar territory for Lopez—or many other high-profile figures. In 2019, she was also sued by the Splash News agency for sharing a paparazzi photo of herself with then-fiancé Alex Rodriguez. Similar lawsuits have involved stars like Gigi Hadid, Justin Bieber, and Khloé Kardashian, as celebrities increasingly use candid or press photos on their social platforms without securing rights.

The irony here is that the public often associates these images with the celebrities themselves, not the people behind the lens. But in legal terms, it’s the photographers who own the copyright. For paparazzi and media photographers, licensing these photos is how they earn a living. Posting an image, even if it features you, doesn’t make it yours, at least not legally.

As more celebrities treat Instagram like a personal press outlet, the legal system continues to struggle with how traditional copyright law applies in the digital age. For photographers, it’s about protecting ownership. For celebrities, it raises questions about fair use, publicity rights, and the blurred line between public image and personal content.

For now, the courts will have to decide whether Lopez’s post constitutes a violation or whether the rules around image use in the influencer era need a serious update.