Photographer says DJ Used His Work Without Permission A photographer has slapped veteran DJ Funkmaster Flex with a $1.65 million lawsuit accusing him of screwing him over by using his work without permission or paying him a dime. Christopher Sadowski filed suit against Flexco LLC and Aston Taylor Jr. – aka Funkmaster Flex – accusing him of copyright infringement, and has demanded the Hot 97 DJ pay up for the damage he allegedly caused. Sadowski – who described himself as a well-regarded professional photographer that specializes in breaking news and events – said Flex’s website, InFlexWeTrust.com, has a bad habit of lifting photos from news websites without permission or attribution, and in his case, the photog claimed Flex’s site took photos he licensed to the New York Post and used them without permission or payment. The photos in question included pics of Whitney Houston’s gravesite, a coyote found wandering in Manhattan, and a photo of the new Freedom Tower. Sadowski explained the website is full of news and information posts that are explicitly sourced from other outlets and the overwhelming majority of those posts are accompanied by photographs or videos – which he said Flex doesn’t have the rights to use. Around May 2014, the man says he sent off a cease and desist to Flex after he noticed his photos being used illegally. Flex took down some of the photos, but over time the photographer noticed many more of his work was being used without permission. Sadowski is suing for an injunction ordering Flex to cease using his copyrighted work & remove his photos from all posts on his website along with $1,650,000 in stator damages and $275,000 for violation of the DMCA. Flex is a professional radio DJ, musician, and producer and well known in the music industry. He promotes himself as “America’s No. 1 radio personality, reaching more than two million listeners a week”.
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Funkmaster Flex Sued For $1.6 Mill For Screwing Photog Over