Photographer Freezes Rapper Cam’ron’s Potential Earnings to Collect $51K Over Photo Infringement
A photographer has taken a bold legal step to secure payment from rapper Cam’ron after winning a $51,000 copyright infringement judgment over her iconic photo of him.
In 2003, photographer Djamilla Rosa Cochran captured a now-famous image of rapper Cam’ron wearing a fuzzy pink coat and headband while holding a matching pink flip phone at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Show in New York. Cochran’s photo would go on to become a popular internet meme and a defining image of Camron’s persona and wider hip-hop culture.
But in April 2023, Cochran sued Cam’ron for using the 2003 image on a range of items sold in the rapper’s merchandise line Dipset Couture — including skateboards, shower curtains, pillows, and socks — without any kind of license. In February 2024, Cochran won the copyright infringement case against Cam’ron and a judge ordered the rapper to pay the photographer $51,221.50 in total — of which $40,530 is being used for statutory damages and $10,691 for Cochran’s legal fees. The $40,530 figure is seven times the $5,790 licensing fee that Getty Images would have charged Cam’ron to use the image on commercial products if he had sought permission for it.
However, it appears that photographer Cochran has still not received payment from Cam’ron. According to a report by Complex, in order to get the money, Cochran took the significant step of filing a federal lien, which has frozen any potential earnings Cam’ron may receive from his ongoing lawsuit against rapper J. Cole. Cam’ron sued J. Cole for over $500,000 after claiming he contributed lyrics and a verse to his song, but was neither credited nor fairly paid.
The new lien ensures that if Cam’ron is awarded any money, $51,221.50 will automatically be redirected to Cochran, giving the photographer a legal avenue to collect what is owed. This development underscores the lengths photographers often have to go to protect their intellectual property — even after a legal victory. Copyright infringement lawsuits remain one of the few mechanisms available for photographers to assert their rights, but some high-profile celebrities can complicate the process.
Last year, supermodel Gigi Hadid was ordered to pay only $3,000 in damages to a photographer after failing to respond to his copyright lawsuit. The supermodel didn’t even bother to hire a lawyer over the photographer’s suit. Consequently, it appears that Hadid may have “got off easy” as a result of her actions — or lack thereof. Cases like these highlight the uphill battle photographers face in securing fair compensation for their work, especially when dealing with prominent figures in the entertainment industry.
Image credits: All photos sourced via Cochran v Dipset Couture LLC et al.
