Court Rules Lil Nas X Did Not Infringe Photographer’s Poses

An appeals court has recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by photographer Rodney Woodland against rapper Lil Nas X, claiming copyright infringement related to poses and concepts used in Instagram posts. The court maintained that the poses are not protected under copyright law, upholding a previous ruling by a California district court.

Woodland’s lawsuit stemmed from photos by Lil Nas X, legally known as Montero Lamar Hill, which he claimed resembled his semi-obscured nude self-portraits. The rapper’s images, which featured chains, photoshop lighting, and strategic obscuration, were argued by Woodland to be too similar to his own artistic work.

Judge Kenneth K. Lee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the decision on May 16, referencing another case, Rentmeester v. Nike, Inc, which set a precedent for the protection limits of photographic ideas. The court highlighted the differences in motifs, arrangements, backgrounds, and other elements between Woodland’s and Hill’s images.

Woodland’s legal challenge cited three of his self-portraits with obscured faces and chains, comparing them to Hill’s now-deleted Instagram image promoting the album Montero. However, the court stressed that the idea of “a Black man in chains” is a common artistic motif and not protected by copyright law.

Further distinctions were noted in other images of Woodland’s, which depicted him on a stool with a distinctive setting, differing from Hill’s images. The court also found that Woodland could not demonstrate that Hill had direct access to his works, pointing to the difference in their social media followings.

The decision underscores the ongoing debate about the limitations of copyright in art and the challenges of proving infringement in cases involving similar themes or concepts.