Amy Taylor has come out on top in her US copyright battle, with a judge ruling largely in her favour and urging photographer Jamie Nelson to settle the case.
At the U.S. district court for the Central District of California today, district court Judge George Wu again encouraged mediation and settlement between Amyl and the Sniffers and Jamie Nelson ahead of an April 27th hearing. Taylor’s lawyer, Jonathan Pink, called it a major win in a statement given to Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
“The U.S. district court for the Central District of California today ruled almost entirely in favor of plaintiff, Amy Taylor, giving her the right to amend her federal court action, keeping alive her state-based claims, and leaning on defendant, Jamie Nelson, to settle this lawsuit, saying ‘Settlement is worth it even if you have to pay more than you want. Things are only going to get worse for you if you go forward.’
“Contrary to Ms. Nelson’s express wishes, district court Judge George Wu denied Ms. Nelson’s Anti-SLAPP motion, ordered the parties to mediate this case within the next 3 weeks, and told Ms. Nelson that, absent a course-correction, he would enter a default judgment against her company, Jamie Nelson Studios, LLC, on April 29, 2026. The court also summarily dismissed Ms. Nelson’s attempts to say that plaintiff’s counsel, a 30-year copyright lawyer, did not understand copyright law, and responded to her plea for assistance with her claims by responding this was not the role of the federal judiciary.
“In summary, today’s hearing was a near-complete victory for Amy Taylor and nearly the complete opposite for Ms. Nelson.”
The matter began last year. Nelson described herself as the creator and sole copyright holder of a photographic series of Taylor titled “Champagne Problems,” which was published in Vogue Portugal in July 2025. She said her work was used without permission after one of the images was shared publicly by a third party linked to Taylor, prompting her to issue cease-and-desist notices to all parties, including Taylor and Amyl and the Sniffers.
A civil lawsuit from Taylor followed, after Nelson allegedly sold a selection of them as “fine art prints” on her website. According to Taylor, no agreement existed authorising Nelson to sell copies.
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Representatives for Taylor have claimed that they offered to discuss a settlement with Nelson twice, which the photographer did not respond to. The presiding judge today recommended that Nelson consider settlement and paying Taylor compensation.