The latest round of scandal around a book of artful nude photographs published in 2003 ended badly for the model, dancer Tang Jiali. The Chaoyang District People’s Cour ruled on Tuesday that she had to pay the photographer of the bare shots 100,000 yuan in compensation for copyright infringement and publicly apologize to him.
Photographer Zhang Xulong filed his lawsuit following the release of the controversial book, called Tang Jiali’s Nude Ar. He had signed an agreement with Tang to do the shoot in 2001, after which she signed a publication contract with the agreement with the People’s Arts Publishing Company. What angered Zhng was that Tang signed her name at the end of the book, implying authorship, and was given royalties by the publisher, while the photographer insisted the book should bear his name and be considered his work. In his lawsuit, Zhang demanded Tang give him 206,080 yuan and a public apology in compensation.
The book of nude photos caused a nationwide stir and made Tang, formerly a dancer with the China National Song and Dance Ensemble, a household name. She has gone on to become a part-time news anchor in Nanjing and an actress.
On her personal web site, Tang said she had little to say about the lawsuit. “I have not decided whether or not to appeal te judgment to a higher court or just pay up and avoid any further trouble,” she said.
Tang’s lawyer, who would not give his name, told theBeijing Daily Messenger on Wednesday that the settlement figure was not outside of expectations, while Zhang’s lawyer said his client was basically satisfied and would not pursue the case further.
