Jay-Z sues photographer for selling pictures of him without permission

Jay-Z is suing a photographer for selling pictures of him without permission.

The 99 Problems hitmaker - whose real name is Shawn Carter - hired Jonathan Mannion in the mid-1990s and he took "hundreds of photographs" of the rapper, including the iconic image of him in a suit and hat with a cigar that featured on the cover of his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt.

However, Jay has now taken legal action because, although the photographer was paid for his work, the rapper "never gave Mannion permission to resell any of the images."

Documents obtained by Rolling Stone added: "Nor did Jay-Z authorise Mannion to use his name, likeness, identity, or persona for any purpose... Mannion has no legal right to [sell the images]"

According to the lawsuit, the Run This Town hitmaker asked Mannion to stop selling photos of him but not only did he refuse, he also asked for payment to make him stop.

The lawsuit claimed: "Mannion has now demanded that Jay-Z pay him tens of millions of dollars to put an end to Mannion's use of Jay-Z's likeness."

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According to the lawsuit, the photographer "prominently displays a photograph of Jay-Z" on his website and also sells Fame Wall T-shirts, which "display Jay-Z's name… above other well-known artists that Mannion has photographed."

The lawsuit is accompanied by several photographs taken of Jay by the snapper, including the album cover shot, and states prints of the images are being sold for thousands of dollars.

The suit has accused the photographer for being in violation of a California Civil Code for allegedly "misappropriating and using for commercial purposes Jay-Z's name, likeness, identity, and persona" without permission and of violating California common law regarding rights of publicity.

Jay is seeking an injunction to stop the photographer and his associates from using his likeness and wants to be awarded damages, though the amount he is looking for wasn't specified.