Why is Robin Thicke being sued by BackGrid USA? Complete drama explained

Singer Robin Thicke is being sued by the photo agency, BackGrid USA. The reason for the lawsuit is simple. Thicke posted two photos of himself on Instagram. These photos were taken by professional paparazzi, and Thicke did not have permission to post them. BackGrid owns the rights to these photos.

According to BackGrid, Thicke broke copyright law by posting the images. The agency says they tried to settle the matter privately with Robin Thicke, and claim that he did not respond to their efforts. This led them to file a lawsuit in federal court on June 16, 2025.

According to Billboard, Thicke’s Instagram no longer features the photos in question, although BackGrid's lawsuit has included what appears to be screenshots of the deleted posts.

This is not the first time a celebrity has been sued for posting paparazzi photos of themselves.

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What photos did Robin Thicke post and why is this an issue?

The lawsuit is about two photos of Thicke. One photo shows him riding a convertible. The other shows him having dinner with his wife, April Love Geary, at the Catch Steak restaurant. These images were taken by professional paparazzi.

According to Billboard, Thicke posted the photos on his Instagram account but later deleted them. BackGrid, however, saved screenshots of the posts. These serve as their evidence in court.

U.S. law says that the photographer owns the copyright of the picture. It does not matter if the photo is of a public figure. Celebrities cannot post these pictures on social media unless they pay for the rights or get permission first. This is why BackGrid is pursuing legal action.

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Why does BackGrid think Robin Thicke should have known better?

BackGrid says that Robin Thicke is not new to copyright law, and their lawsuit points out that the singer owns over 100 registered copyrights. He has also been involved in copyright cases in the past. One of the biggest was the Blurred Lines lawsuit, where he was accused of copying another song.

Billboard reports that BackGrid argues:

“Given his extensive experience with copyright law, Mr. Thicke should have known that posting copyrighted images without permission was unlawful.”

They also claim that Thicke’s Instagram post led to more people sharing the photos online, which made the copyright violation worse[1]. Because of this, BackGrid believes Thicke knowingly broke the law.

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What is BackGrid asking the court to do?

BackGrid wants Thicke to pay damages for using their photos without a license. The amount of money is not listed, but these types of cases can result in large settlements. According to Billboard, the lawsuit should stop Thicke from posting any more of their copyrighted photos in the future. They believe this is needed to protect their business.

BackGrid also said they tried to resolve the matter without going to court. The agency claims:

“We made several attempts to contact Mr. Thicke to resolve this issue amicably. However, with no response from him, we were forced to take legal action”

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Robin Thicke is being sued by BackGrid USA for posting two paparazzi photos of himself on Instagram. The agency says this was a clear case of copyright infringement. Thicke has not commented publicly on the case.

The lawsuit is part of a bigger trend where celebrities face legal action for posting photos without permission. U.S. copyright law supports the rights of photographers in these situations. The outcome of this case could send an important message to other celebrities and influencers.