Leonardo DiCaprio Dragged to Federal Court Over Instagram Post Weeks After Ex-GF Gigi Hadid Was Hit With Similar Lawsuit
Nov. 6 2023, Published 11:33 a.m. ET
Leonardo DiCaprio has been slapped with a federal lawsuit over a video he posted on social media.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, a company called Global Weather Productions LLC sued the Killers of the Flower Moon star.
In the suit, the company said it owns the copyright to a video created by Michael Brandon Clement.
The video in question showed the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian to the Abaco islands in the Bahamas.
The company said DiCaprio took the video they own and posted it on his Instagram, which has over 61 million followers. Global Weather Productions said the actor did not obtain permission or pay a licensing fee for the use.
Global Weather Productions’ lawsuit said, “Plaintiff has invested significant time and money in building Plaintiff's video portfolio.”
The company said DiCaprio posted the video on September 4, 2019.
Filming for DiCaprio's latest project impacted a Sacramento homeless community.
“The Infringement is an exact copy of Plaintiff's original video recording that was directly copied and displayed by [DiCaprio] on the Account,” the suit read. “[DiCaprio] takes an active and pervasive role in the content posted on his Account, including, but not limited to copying, posting, selecting, commenting on, and/or displaying video recordings including but not limited to Plaintiff's Video.”
The company claimed DiCaprio’s use of their video caused the footage to lose value.
In addition, Global Weather Productions believes DiCaprio benefited financially from using their video.
The suit seeks unspecified damages for the alleged copyright infringement.
DiCaprio isn’t the only celebrity being dragged to court over his Instagram posts.
The Titanic star’s ex-girlfriend Gigi Hadid was sued in August.
As we first reported, a photographer named Ulices Ramales sued the model in New York.
Ramales said he took photos of Gigi’s sister Bella in October 2020. He claimed Gigi took the photos and posted them on her social media without permission.
The suit read, “Defendant has received a financial benefit directly attributable to the Infringement. Upon information and belief, the Infringement increased traffic to the Account and, in turn, caused Defendant to realize an increase in her own brand recognition and by extension, increased interest and/or public awareness of her own business ventures.”
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The photographer demanded unspecified damages. Gigi has yet to respond.
Gigi's lawsuit came weeks after her sister Bella was sued over similar allegations.
