The former 'House of Carters' star is hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit for allegedly running an image of artist Ali Shimhaq's artwork on his website.
- May 7, 2020
AceShowbiz - Aaron Carter has been slapped with a new lawsuit for allegedly misappropriating artist Ali Shimhaq's work to promote his merchandise.
The "I Want Candy" singer allegedly ran an image of the painting "Cosmic Lion" on his Love Collection website, which sells apparel and jewellery, which Shimhaq, of the Maldives, says is one of his works.
However, when he confronted Carter about the alleged theft on Twitter, the hitmaker's response was less than favourable.
"Bro literally get over yourself. I bought the image and I own it," the "Hard to Love" singer allegedly replied. "F**k off snd srop (sic) clout chasing. Or sue me."
Aaron also claimed the artwork came from royalty free image sites Shutterstock and Shutterfly but, Shimhaq contacted both organisations and they allegedly said they never had the painting in their database nor did they license it to Carter.
According to the suit, filed in a Manhattan court, Shimhaq wants Carter to pay up to $25,000 for each unauthorised use of the image.
"This is an example of a celebrity infringing upon another's artwork for monetary gain, claiming it as his own, removing the artist's watermark, and defending his actions on social media by saying what he did was OK," said attorney Richard Liebowitz. "Artists must get paid for their hard work."
Aaron previously came under fire in January 2020 for allegedly misappropriating digital artist Jonas Jodicke's work, by using a shot of a pair of lions to link to his website.
