Federal Suit Filed Against Philly.com Over Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis Photo

A Los Angeles-based firm files copyright claim against the website.

Philadelphia Media Network LLC and Philadelphia Newspapers LLC have been sued in Federal Court over a photo of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis that was allegedly used without permission.

Los Angeles-based BWP Media USA Inc. filed the suit on Friday against the company behind Philly.com, the Inquirer and the Daily News, claiming four copyright violations involving the photo, which was apparently part of a 2012 year-in-review article on Philly.com, “7 Celebrity Couples Who Caused a Scene in 2012.” BWP claims to own the copyright of that image.

The photo, which we won’t show here for obvious reasons (but which can be seen via this link), depicts Kutcher and girlfriend (and “Sexiest Woman Alive”) Kunis walking down the street with cups of coffee and a copy of the New York Post.

 

The link for that article is no longer active, although the suit contains screenshots of the photo’s use.

The plaintiff seeks $150,000 per infringement plus plaintiff’s attorney fees and costs. A spokesperson for Philly.com was not immediately available for comment.

Follow @VictorFiorillo on Twitter.