Marco Verch, a German citizen and professional photographer, has filed a lawsuit against Eminent Oilfield Services, LLC, alleging copyright infringement. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on March 12, 2025. Verch accuses the Louisiana-based company of unlawfully using one of his copyrighted photographs without permission.
The legal dispute centers around a photograph titled "Frame-of-bright-colorful-autumn-leaves-on-a-white-wooden-background," created by Liliya Krivorychko in 2019 and later transferred to Verch through an exclusive agreement. This agreement granted Verch comprehensive rights to exploit the photograph commercially. In July 2020, Verch registered the work with the U.S. Copyright Office under Registration No. VA 2-214-871. According to the complaint, Eminent Oilfield Services used this image on their website and social media platforms without obtaining proper licensing or authorization from Verch.
Verch's complaint outlines that he discovered the unauthorized use of his photograph on November 25, 2021, when it was displayed on Eminent Oilfield Services' website and Facebook page as part of a Thanksgiving greeting. The plaintiff claims that this act constitutes willful copyright infringement under U.S. law (17 U.S.C. § 501), given that professional photography is typically paid for and not freely available for public use.
In response to these alleged violations, Marco Verch seeks several forms of relief from the court. He demands a declaration affirming that Eminent Oilfield Services infringed upon his copyrights willfully and requests compensation for actual damages incurred due to this unauthorized use. Additionally, Verch seeks either statutory damages or disgorgement of profits derived from the infringement at trial, along with reimbursement for legal costs and attorney fees as per 17 U.S.C. § 505.
Furthermore, Verch requests a permanent injunction against Eminent Oilfield Services to prevent any future unauthorized use or display of his copyrighted works. This injunction would prohibit the company and its affiliates from reproducing or marketing any derivative works based on his photograph without explicit permission.
Representing Marco Verch in this case is attorney John E.W. Baay II from Laborde Siegel LLC, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The case is being presided over by judges whose names are not specified in the document but can be identified through Case ID: 6:25-cv-00301.