Amy Louise Taylor takes legal action against US photographer over use of her image

Amyl & The Sniffers frontwoman Amy Louise Taylor has filed a lawsuit against a US photographer, alleging the “exploitation of her image”.

Taylor submitted the legal complaint in a California district court, accusing photographer Jamie Nelson of selling images taken for a Vogue Portugal shoot as “fine art prints” without her consent.

According to court filings, the situation began in July 2024, when the band’s manager Simone Ubaldi contacted Nelson about photographing the group in connection with their upcoming album ‘Cartoon Darkness’.

The plans for that shoot were later abandoned after the band, according to the documents, “expressly communicated” that they did not want Nelson using their name, image or likeness to promote her photography business or to sell merchandise, including so called “fine art prints”, as reported by the Guardian.

“As explained to Ms. Nelson, the Band was zealously protective of their image and did not want these used for non Band sanctioned, private commercial purposes such as Ms. Nelson had proposed. As a result, the photo shoot was never conducted,” the complaint states.

Several months later, Nelson allegedly approached Taylor directly, asking to photograph her “with the express intention that the resulting images would be published exclusively in the July 2025 issue of Vogue Portugal”, according to the filing.

Taylor agreed to the shoot, but the complaint claims that she never granted Nelson permission to use the images for any purpose beyond their exclusive appearance in the magazine.

The shoot took place in May and the photographs were published in the July issue of Vogue Portugal. However, the documents allege that on September 4, Nelson sent Taylor and Ubaldi a presentation of selected images that she intended to sell as “fine art prints” through her website.

Ubaldi says that he responded immediately, informing Nelson that Taylor objected to this use of her image and making clear that no licence or permission had been granted to sell the photographs as “fine art prints” or “zines”, stating that the only approved use was for Vogue Portugal.

Taylor further claims that Nelson was “well aware of [her] antipathy to such an expanded exploitation of her image” and that no agreement existed authorising the sale of the photos.

According to the filing, Nelson continued to seek a licence from Taylor on several occasions, but each request was rejected and no agreement was ever reached.

Ubaldi is also said to have written to Nelson on September 15, stating: “We are not interested in a buyout of these images.

“If you had been transparent with her in advance of the shoot about your desire or intentions to sell the photos, she would have said no to the shoot,” he allegedly continued. “If you had any notion or desire to sell pictures of [Taylor] to recoup your costs, you should have disclosed this beforehand. We simply would have said no to the shoot.”

Court documents go on to say that on September 20, Taylor discovered that Nelson was selling “fine art prints” featuring the images on her website and using the photos to promote her wider commercial ventures.

“Moreover, after the foregoing interactions, [Nelson] expanded their exploitation by offering a specially designed ‘zine’ that consisted exclusively of both published and unpublished images from the Vogue Portugal article,” the complaint alleges.

“Not only was this done without Ms. Taylor’s permission and in direct contravention of her wishes, but it appears to have been done in retaliation of Ms. Taylor’s demands that [Nelson] stop their unlawful exploitation of Ms. Taylor’s name, image and likeness for [her] commercial interest,” the filing continues.

The complaint also claims that Nelson’s Instagram and Facebook accounts continue to display images of Taylor without licence or authorisation.

It further describes Taylor’s likeness as widely recognisable due to her “rebellious spirit and blend of a distinctive Australian ‘pub rock’ aesthetic, featuring mullets, footy shorts and an unrefined style, combined with elements of 1970s punk”.

“Accordingly, Ms. Taylor has built a substantial fan following based upon not only her musical talent, but also her image and personal brand,” the complaint adds. It alleges that Nelson’s actions are likely to “cause confusion or mistake, or to deceive” people into believing Taylor endorsed Nelson’s commercial activities.

The filing also states that Taylor will “continue to suffer” harm, including “lost profits and damages to her reputation, brand and business interests”.

NME has contacted Nelson for comment, but she has not yet formally responded to the allegations.

Elsewhere, Amyl & The Sniffers recently covered $35,000 worth of bar tabs for fans in Melbourne after a planned free show was cancelled at short notice.

Last year, the band spoke to NME about their expanding audience and the creative direction behind ‘Cartoon Darkness’.

“We’ve evolved in so many different ways,” drummer Bryce Wilson said. “Further than pub rock or punk rock kind of thing. Not better or worse, just different branches of a tree.”

Reflecting on the broader themes explored on the album, including prejudice and sexism, Taylor added: “I was intimidated by politics. I didn’t grow up around it that much. I finished high school, but barely. It’s really easy to feel kind of ashamed of yourself for not being sure how to get your foot in it, or to get the confidence to speak out about stuff.

“I don’t just wanna be singing about crap. The world’s filled with junk. Layers and layers of junk. Pointless crap. I don’t wanna be contributing to that.”