Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her superPAC, SarahPAC, are in a bit of trouble after posting a memorable photo from Sept. 11 without permission.
According to The Alaska Dispatch, Palin and her organization have entered into litigation with North Jersey Media Group, Inc., for copyright infringement. Palin allegedly posted the photo —featuring three firefighters hoisting an American flag at Ground Zero on Sept. 11 — onto her Facebook page with the words “We will never forget. September 11, 2001.”
Thomas E. Franklin, a photographer with The Record, took the picture and it has since been widely circulated, even being used on a stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2002, Bloomberg reported. North Jersey Media Group owns The Record.
North Jersey Media Group’s complaint, filed Friday in Manhattan, alleges the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee posted the photo on the social networking site without their permission. It received more than 140,000 “likes,” at least 1,500 comments and close to 21,600 “shares” before being removed around 6:45 Eastern time. In addition to the words” We will never forget. September 11, 2001,” it boasted the SarahPAC logo in the lower right corner.
The complaint also states the photo appeared on the SarahPAC website, however it was removed there, too. North Jersey Media Group also seeks a court order to prohibit Palin and her group from using the image again, Bloomberg reported.
