Court mandates Cam’ron to pay $50K for utilizing a public copyrighted image of himself on Dipset merchandise.
One year following Djamilla Cochran’s lawsuit against the rapper and his company Dipset Couture for unauthorized use of her image on merchandise, Judge William Martini concluded on Thursday that the rapper had indeed infringed on copyright. Cochran’s victory was straightforward, as Cam never addressed the lawsuit nor provided any defenses.
The picture featured the Dipset rapper wearing a fuzzy pink coat and hat, holding a matching flip phone, and has been seen on various merchandise.
In his verdict, the judge mandated Cam to pay $40,530 in statutory damages. This significantly surpasses the $5,790 licensing fee that Getty Images would have imposed had he sought permission to use the image on commercial products.
Per her lawsuit, Cochran claimed that Cam had incorporated the image into various merchandise sold by his Dipset Couture, ranging from t-shirts and jewelry to an array of items such as shower curtains, pillows, swimsuits, socks, and even a birthday cake.
In 2003, Cochran captured Cam at a New York fashion show, wearing a vibrant shade of pink that would later become synonymous with his brand. In 2016, GQ magazine featured the photo prominently in an article titled “Cam’ron Is Very Particular When It Comes to the Color Pink,” noting that the rapper had cemented his identity with an iconic pink mink coat showcased at the fashion event.
