Source: Chris Walter/Getty
His estate The Notorious BIG has settled a lawsuit filed against the photographer Chi Modu for intellectual property associated with his photographs.
ONE long term The dispute between the estate of The Notorious BIG and photographer Chi Modu has been settled, with a court ruling in favor of the late Hip-Hop icon, according to Digital Music News. The estate deposited a treatment against the photographer in a California court in March 2019 for unauthorized use of photos taken by Modu of The Notorious BIG aka Christopher Wallace in 1996, claiming they were used on merchandise sold in violation of their copyright.
The estate, known as Notorious BIG, LLC, was created by the artist's mother Voletta Wallace and his widow, R&B star Faith Evans. The lawsuit said Chi Modu used iconic photos of the rapper on merchandise including “snowboards, (…) skateboards, shower curtains and NFTs” without their permission. These images, which Modu (who died in 2021 from cancer) took as a photographer The source They include several shots of Biggie standing in front of the World Trade Center in 1996, a year before his tragic death in Los Angeles and five years before the Twin Towers were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. At the time of the lawsuit, Modu claimed that since he was the original photographer, he did not need to ask for permission.
In May 2022, the court ruled in favor of The Notorious BIG's estate, ruling in a preliminary injunction against Chi Modu's widow, Sophia, prohibiting further sales of merchandise bearing Biggie's image due to violation of the estate's right to publicity of that image . Monetary details of the settlement will not be disclosed, according to law firm Nixon Peabody LLP which represented Notorious BIG, LLC along with intellectual property counsel Aaron Brian and Mark Zhai.
“We are pleased to end this high-profile matter, successfully vindicating our client's publicity and other intellectual property rights,” Nixon Peabody intellectual property partner Staci Jennifer Trager, who led the estate's representation, said in a statement. “Christopher's photos cannot be used commercially without permission from our client. The settlement agreement is a testament to the commitment of our client, as well as our team members, to stay the course for several years.”