Angi (formerly Angie’s List) sued for Copyright Infringement over Instagram Posts

The photographs that are the subject of this new Indiana copyright lawsuit were commercially licensed to @caroline.andreon on Instagram for the purpose of display and/or public distribution. Angi (formerly Angie’s List), an Indianapolis-based website providing home contractor information (roofers, plumbers, electricians, etc.), reposted the photographs on its own @Angi Instagram account, crediting the @caroline.andreon account. However, Angi did not seek permission from the actual owner of the photographs, a photographer from Paris, France. In reposting the photographs, Angi allegedly also removed a gutter credit attributing @julien_pepy_photographe as the author of the work, inviting an additional claim of Removal and Alteration of Copyright Management Information.

These photography copyright lawsuits typically settle quickly but sometimes the defendant has a good explanation for their use of the photograph(s). Stay tuned to see which direction this lawsuit will take.

Pepy v. Angie’s Lists, Inc. d/b/a Angi

Court Case Number: 1:24-cv-01209-SEB-MJD
File Date: July 18, 2024
Plaintiff: Julien Pepy
Plaintiff Counsel: Craig B. Sanders of Sanders Law Group
Defendant: Angie’s List, Inc. d/b/a Angi
Cause: Direct Copyright Infringement, Removal and Alteration of Copyright Management Information
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Mark J. Dinsmore

Complaint: