US Plastic Surgeon in copyright infringement lawsuit

American Plastic Surgeon, Dr Anthony Youn, who is a regular on TV shows and in magazines, has come under fire for a supposed copyright violation against photo agency National Photo Group.

The celebrity surgeon, who has appeared on reality TV show Dr 90120, used a shot of Cyndi Lauper with the caption – ‘Cyndi Lauper – Chemical Peel, Facelift?’’ on a website when it was apparently owned by the agency. As a result the agency is suing the doctor.

They claim he has used the photo without express permission, although it may well be that he can circumnavigate the laws through claiming he was using it for reportage, in which case a ‘fair usage’ clause is covered by law.

It’’s not the first time the US photo agency have got litigious – last year they sued Viacom for their website VH-1’’s use of a TMZ paparazzi shot; TMZ are a client of the group.

They are suing Dr Youn for $150,000 plus legal fees.