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Cyrus is facing a lawsuit from photographer Robert Barbera, who has in the past has sued Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Dua Lipa for sharing his work without permission, for sharing a 2020 photo of herself waving to a crowd of fans. The Grande and Bieber lawsuits were reportedly settled out of court while the Dua Lipa one is still pending, and all were regarding the unauthorized sharing of photos to which he held the licenses. Emily Ratajkowski, LeBron James, Katy Perry, and others have all faced similar lawsuits from other photographers in the last few years.

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It might sound silly on the surface, but Barbera's lawsuit says that when a famous person shares one of his photos of themselves online, it has the effect of "crippl[ing] if not destroy[ing]" his ability to license it, which as a photographer is how he makes his living. According to Billboard, he's backed up by copyright law, which offers the option to sue for either "actual damages" or the revenue he can prove he lost as a result of the defendant's actions, or "statutory damages" coming to a flat $150,000 per infringed copyright.

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The suit does not include a specific request for damages, and Cyrus hasn't commented on it publicly as of yet. But Barbera is clearly hoping for one of those undisclosed settlements, the likes of which he already signed with Grande and Bieber.

The lesson: if you're a famous person with a high volume social media presence, don't assume you can share a picture just because it was taken of you – or you might be facing a stiff legal settlement afterward.

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