Amy Taylor And Amyl & The Sniffers Photographer Dispute Enters New Legal Phase

Federal filings, copyright claims and a pending restraining order hearing deepen a complex dispute first reported by Noise11 in late 2025.

by Paul Cashmere

A legal dispute between Amy Taylor of Amyl & The Sniffers and Los Angeles photographer Jamie Nelson has entered a new and more complex phase, with additional court filings now on record in the United States and parallel proceedings continuing in California state court.

Noise11 first reported the story on December 31, 2025, when Taylor filed a federal lawsuit alleging that photographs taken for an editorial shoot with Vogue Portugal were later exploited for commercial gain without her consent. Since that report, Nelson has formally provided Noise11 with a detailed statement outlining her position, the timeline of events as she sees them, and the current legal status of the matter. That letter is published below in full, without edits.

The dispute centres on a photographic series titled Champagne Problems, shot in May 2025 and published in the July 2025 international issue of Vogue Portugal. The images feature Taylor, the highly recognisable frontwoman of Melbourne punk band Amyl & The Sniffers, whose image and presentation have become inseparable from the band’s global profile.

Taylor’s federal complaint alleges that the photographs were created under a clear understanding that their use was limited strictly to a single editorial context. According to her filing, no permission was granted for the images to be reproduced, marketed or sold as fine art prints or related products. The lawsuit claims that any subsequent commercial use risks misleading fans into believing Taylor endorsed or was commercially affiliated with the photographer’s business.

Amyl & The Sniffers formed in Melbourne in 2016 and have since risen from suburban pub shows to international festival stages, collecting multiple ARIA Awards along the way, including major wins for their third album Cartoon Darkness. Taylor’s image, built on a blend of Australian pub rock, 1970s punk and confrontational performance art, is a central element of that success, and the lawsuit argues that control over how that image is used is fundamental to her career.

Nelson disputes Taylor’s claims and asserts her rights as the copyright holder of the photographic series. In her correspondence to Noise11, Nelson outlines her role as photographer, producer and sole financial backer of Champagne Problems, and details a sequence of legal actions that run parallel to Taylor’s federal complaint.

The following letter from Jamie Nelson to Noise11 is reproduced exactly as provided, word for word:

“Dear Paul,

I wanted to share additional factual context related to the federal complaint referenced in Noise 11. Since the publication of your December 31, 2025 article, there has been an additional court filing related to this matter.

I am a Los Angeles–based female photographer who works with musicians and celibrities, and I am the copyright holder of a photographic series titled Champagne Problems, created in 2025 and published in an international issue of Vogue. I served as the photographer, producer, and sole financial investor for this series. The dispute concerns the creation, sale, and display of fine-art prints of my own photographic work.

On November 18, 2025, I formally asserted my rights as the copyright holder to Amy Taylor and her legal counsel with respect to the creation, sale, and display of these images.

On December 4, 2025, after a third party associated with Amy Taylor publicly posted one of my copyrighted images in a manner I contend was false or misleading, I issued written cease-and-desist notices to the third party, Amyl and the Sniffers, and Amy Taylor, placing the relevant parties on notice and requesting removal of the image.

On December 9, 2025, I filed a Civil Harassment Restraining Order against Amy Taylor in Los Angeles Superior Court. That matter remains pending, with a hearing scheduled for February 13, 2026.

On December 22, 2025, a federal complaint was filed against me and my company. I dispute the claims asserted and intend to address them through the appropriate legal process.

I am not asking anyone to prejudge the court’s decisions. I am sharing this information solely to provide factual context involving an independent artist navigating a dispute, related legal filings, and media coverage.

If helpful, I can also provide a concise timeline of relevant dates and filings.

Cheers,
Jamie Nelson
Fashion & Beauty Photographer & Director”

At present, the legal situation spans two jurisdictions. Taylor’s federal lawsuit, filed on December 22, 2025, addresses alleged unauthorised commercial exploitation of her image. Separately, Nelson’s civil harassment restraining order application, filed on December 9, 2025, remains before the Los Angeles Superior Court, with a hearing listed for February 13, 2026. No temporary restraining order was granted at the time of filing.

The case raises broader questions that extend beyond the two parties involved, including how copyright law intersects with image rights, editorial agreements and the commercial reuse of fashion photography in a digital marketplace. As the matter progresses through the courts, those boundaries are likely to be closely scrutinised.

Noise11 will continue to report developments as they occur.