Paparazzo Ambushes CBS With Copyright Infringement Suit

Image via WikipediaPaparazzi, the relentless photographers staking out celebrities, may be lawless in the public's mind, but that doesn't mean they can't also be litigious.

Witness Alan Zanger, as in Zanger v. CBS Corporation et al. (Case No. 1: 2011-cv-07483), who this week brought a copyright infringement action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging that CBS's The Early Show and The Insider featured his mother & child pics of Rielle Hunter, former Sen. John Edwards' mistress without his permission.

Zanger allegedly has an exclusive deal with tabloid New York Post since 2008 to publish candids of Edwards' & Hunter's kid, which US Weekly and Inside Edition have also licensed, according to a THR, Esq. blog post. Based on interest purportedly expressed by The Insider, Zanger claims that he forwarded a couple of Hunter photos to the CBS program for its review, which his complaint alleges have appeared on the Eye Network without his being compensated.

CBS has yet to respond to the suit that was filed October 21.