In the interest of protecting her reputation, Lara Stone sued French Playboy over the summer for publishing, without her permission, nude photographs of her taken last year by photographer Greg Lotus. She just won her case, including “significant” damages from the magazine. Stone, who has posed nude plenty of times for magazines like W and Purple, is thrilled that a court has decided she has the legal right not to be associated with a magazine like French Playboy if she doesn’t want to be.
“No woman wants photos of them to be published in Playboy without permission,” Stone said in a statement. “I’m very pleased to have won the case, although of course I would rather not have had to take legal action at all.”
Stone will donate her winnings to the Great Ormond Street Hospital, while the magazine has to publish a statement in the next issue explaining that it infringed on her legal rights. Fashion models who have willingly appeared in French Playboy — which is very different from, and much more fashion-centric than American Playboy — include Lily Cole, Lou Doillon, Lydia Hearst, Alexandra Richards, and Bianca Balti. But hey, good for them.
Victory For Lara [Vogue UK]
Update: Photographer Greg Lotus sent us a statement explaining that the photos, which were taken in 2008, were placed with his syndication agency, Icon, and then sold to French Playboy prior to gaining his approval. From the statement:
“While Greg does own the copyright to the Stone photographs, he would not have permitted publication by Playoy without the consent of the model and her agency” said Jack McCue, Lotus’ lawyer.
…“I pride myself on my client relationships,” says Lotus. “Having that bond of trust with each of my subjects is truly paramount to working together. Hopefully, the media will get their facts straight.”
