Netflix Sued for Unauthorized, Privacy Invading Drone Shot it Used in an Ad
A family is suing Netflix for using images of their house that were allegedly taken by a drone in an advertisement for a reality television show.
Aharon Dihno, his partner, and his two children have filed a lawsuit against Netflix for using imagery of their family home in Hollywood Hills, Los Angles in a 2022 advertisement for Buying Beverly Hills.
According to CBS News, the family claim that Netflix captured the image of their unique and isolated house with a drone.
The suit contends that the ad features a photo of Dihno’s family home from a vantage point that could only have been obtained with a drone. According to Dihno and his family, the angle of the alleged drone image used in the Buying Beverly Hills ad shows the interior and exterior of their home.
The suit contends that the image has caused Dihno and his family constant harassment by tourists and real estate agents.
After the ad with the drone image was shown, Dihno and his family “suffered a constant onslaught of visitors interested in seeing the property,” causing the plaintiffs to fear for their safety and lose any sense of privacy.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiffs also endured harassing phone calls from real estate brokers interested in selling the property. CBS News reports that the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the drone image supposedly taken of their home.
They are alleging intrusion upon seclusion, violation of the state’s false advertising and privacy laws, and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Buying Beverly Hills is a reality television show that documents the daily lives of the individuals working at the Los Angeles real estate firm, The Agency. The Agency is listed as a co-defendant in the suit filed by Dihno and his family.
This is not the first time a lawsuit has emerged about the right to fly a drone over another property. In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle filed a lawsuit against photo agency X17 in Los Angeles claiming that drones were used to take pictures of their young son outside at home.
Harry and Meghan said that the images were an invasion of privacy laws in California. Photo agency X17 later apologized to the couple and agreed to pay a portion of their legal fees.
“Every individual and family member in California is guaranteed by law the right to privacy in their home,” the couple’s lawyer said at the time.
“No drones, helicopters, or telephoto lenses can take away that right.”
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
