A Shot of Litigation: Photographer Squeezes Long Drink with Lawsuit

A federal lawsuit has been filed in Indiana by New York photographer John Taggart against Lonkero, LLC, which does business as The Long Drink Company. The case centers on claims that the LLC used one of Taggart’s copyrighted photographs without permission on its social media accounts.

According to the complaint, Taggart created and licensed a photograph of a line at a Manhattan bar, first published in March 2020 and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office the following month. He alleges that The Long Drink Company copied and posted the image on both its Instagram and Facebook pages in February 2025 as part of promotional content. Taggart says he did not grant a license or authorization for these uses and only discovered the posts in June 2025.

The filing accuses the company of knowingly engaging in copyright infringement by reproducing and displaying the photograph for commercial gain. Taggart claims the posts boosted the company’s online traffic and business revenue while undermining the market value of his work. He also argues that the company failed to maintain proper copyright compliance policies, amounting to willful disregard of the law.

After sending a demand letter in June 2025 without receiving a response, Taggart initiated the lawsuit. He is seeking damages, profits from the alleged infringements, legal fees, and an injunction to prevent future use of his work. The complaint also requests a jury trial.

The case has been assigned to Judge Richard L. Young and Magistrate Judge Mark J. Dinsmore in the U.S. District Court of Southern Indiana Case No. 1:25-cv-01493.

Complaint