Amyl and the Sniffers
Amy Taylor and Photographer Jamie Nelson Settle Copyright Dispute
“This is not worth our time, our money or our attention anymore,” say the band
Amy Taylor, vocalist of Australian punk band Amyl and the Sniffers, and American photographer Jamie Nelson have settled their legal dispute over photographs of Taylor.
Backstory:
Nelson photographed Taylor for Vogue Portugal in July 2025 in a series titled ‘Champagne Problems.’
She claimed to be the creator and sole copyright holder of the images.
After one of the photos was shared publicly without permission by a third party linked to Taylor, Nelson issued cease-and-desist notices to Taylor and the band.
Taylor subsequently filed a civil lawsuit after Nelson began selling a selection of the photos as “fine art prints” on her website, claiming she was not authorized to sell them.
A federal false-association claim put forward by Taylor in September was dismissed with prejudice by US District Judge George H. Wu.
The settlement:
The parties reached a mutual settlement on 28 October, with both sides’ remaining claims dismissed.
According to the band’s statement, no money changed hands as part of the settlement.
Nelson retains copyright of the photographs and can continue selling them, including for commercial profit, as per the band’s statement.
A “Covenant Not to Sue” was also established, preventing Taylor and the band from bringing further legal action over specified uses of the images.
What they said:
Jamie Nelson, in a statement to Rolling Stone AU/NZ: “This case was never just about my photographs. It was about First Amendment rights, freedom of artistic expression, and the fundamental right of an artist to create, exhibit, and sell their original work without intimidation. I fought to defend those principles, not just for myself, but for every independent artist who has ever been pressured into silence.”
Amyl and the Sniffers: “What Jamie Nelson was fighting for, in our view, was the right to exploit Amy Taylor’s name, face and fame for staggering profit. All we were fighting for was Amy’s right to say no. But frankly, this is not worth our time, our money or our attention anymore.”
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
This story was written with information from The Music Network.
We covered it because it’s news of a lawsuit involving a high-profile artist settling.
