Korean photographer sues Greek designer over stealing image

Below right is U.K.-based Greek designer Mary Katrantzou’s T-shirt in her “Mary A to Z” collection, and on the bottom is Korean photographer Lee Myoung-ho’s work titled “Tree...#3,” taken at Sihwa Lake in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province in 2011. Lee claims Katrantzou incorporated his photograph for the T-shirt. / Yonhap

Photographer Lee Myoung-ho said Monday that he has an ongoing lawsuit in the U.S. over London-based Greek designer Mary Katrantzou’s alleged copying of his photograph.

“Katrantzou plagiarized my photograph ‘Tree...#3,’” Lee said at a press conference in central Seoul. “I learned about this from an acquaintance last April and filed a complaint with the California District Court last October.”

Lee is demanding $2 million in compensation from Katrantzou.

Lee took the photograph at Sihwa Lake in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in 2011. He installed a 15-meter-tall, 15-meter-wide white canvas wall behind a tree on a field of reeds near the lake.

The photograph was first shown at Seoul Photo 2013, held in COEX, southern Seoul, in April 2013.

Lee alleged that Katrantzou used the image for a T-shirt and tote bag in her “Mary A to Z” collection.

“I wasn’t able to see the T-shirt and the bag in person but it appears the designer stretched the photo horizontally and deleted the tree’s branches to dodge copyright infringement allegations.”

The T-shirt was sold on Katrantzou’s website for $520 and the bag, for $1,070, but the items are now off the product list.

Lee’s legal representative said that whether Katrantzou knew about Lee’s photograph and whether the photograph is similar to the image used on the products will be key issues in this suit.

He said the suit was filed in the U.S. because the products were mostly sold there and the country has many precedents for copyright violations.