A shutterbug who specializes in sand-and-sea shots filed suit yesterday against a clothing company that allegedly ripped off one of his images to help sell its pants.
Michael Dweck claims Malibu Denim is violating the copyright on his 2002 black-and-white picture of a nude beach babe running with a surfboard.
His Manhattan federal court suit — which seeks unspecified damages — says copies of the photo have sold for up to $22,000 each.
Exhibits attached to Dweck’s court filing apparently show a cropped version of the photo on a “hang tag” stapled to a pair of heavily faded blue jeans in an unidentified store.
The allegedly infringing version doesn’t show the woman’s bouncing breasts, and also covers up the crack of her butt with a red rectangle emblazoned with the words “Malibu Denim.”
Malibu Denim — whose owner is identified in court papers as Diana Amadi — couldn’t be reached for comment.