What was filed
The complaint is Document 1 in No. 1:26-cv-04368, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, filed October 19, 2026 and dated October 16, 2026, and assigned to Judge George L. Russell III. It runs 21 pages and refers to three exhibits: a copy of the photograph, screengrabs of the alleged infringements, and Internet Archive Wayback Machine screengrabs captured October 13, 2026. The plaintiff is Jesse Korman, who the complaint says is a citizen of New Jersey with a principal place of business in Bergen County, New Jersey. Counsel is Sanders Law Group of Uniondale, New York. Jurisdiction is pleaded under 28 U.S.C. 1338(a) and 1331, and venue under 28 U.S.C. 1400(a) and 1391(b)(1) and (b)(2). He demands a jury trial. (Compl. paras. 6, 33 to 35, 41, 61, 78, 104; p. 21.)
There are 22 defendants: Sinclair, Inc., Sinclair Broadcast Group, LLC, Sinclair Television Group, Inc., and 19 companies the complaint calls the Station Licensees (ACC Licensee, LLC; Chesapeake Television Licensee, LLC; KEYE Licensee, LLC; KFOX Licensee, LLC; KOKH Licensee, LLC; KUPN Licensee, LLC; Sinclair Boise Licensee, LLC; Sinclair Eugene Licensee, LLC; Sinclair Media Licensee, LLC; WBMA Licensee, LLC; WCHS Licensee, LLC; WEAR Licensee, LLC; WGXA Licensee, LLC; WKRC Licensee, LLC; WLOS Licensee, LLC; WLUK Licensee, LLC; WSET Licensee, LLC; WTVC Licensee, LLC; and WZTV Licensee, LLC). The complaint places each in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and alleges, on information and belief, that each Station Licensee is the FCC licensee of record for a named television station and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of the three Sinclair companies. (Compl. caption and paras. 7 to 29.)
What the complaint alleges
It alleges Korman created the photograph, a photograph of a person who had not yet run for public office, in 2016, first published it on or about February 24, 2016, and registered it under Registration No. VA 2-139-851, effective February 8, 2019. It alleges he let the subject use the photograph personally and has not licensed it to any defendant. (Compl. paras. 2, 41 to 45.)
It alleges that on or about February 16, 2019, the defendants published the photograph on wlos.com, and that on February 21, 2019, they published an opinion column from a recurring "Bottom Line" commentary segment with the photograph as its lead image on at least 19 more station websites, which the complaint lists by domain and station. It alleges, on information and belief, that the copies share a common media identifier and file name and were distributed from a common content management system. It alleges the column credited the photograph to the subject's campaign, never to Korman. (Compl. paras. 57 to 62, 65.)
It alleges Korman first discovered the uses on five of the sites on October 28, 2024 and the rest on October 8, 2026, and that the display has continued without interruption, so that each display within the three years before suit is independently actionable. (The Copyright Act's three-year limitations period for civil claims is in 17 U.S.C. 507(b).) It alleges his counsel sent letters on November 8 and December 9, 2024, that Sinclair's in-house counsel replied on December 9, 2024 that Sinclair was "reviewing this matter internally to determine where the image was sourced from," and that the photograph remained displayed as of the complaint. It pleads willfulness, pointing to the defendants' own copyright terms and DMCA policy, an admission it says Sinclair Broadcast Group made in Global Weather Productions LLC v. Sinclair Broadcast Group, LLC, No. 1:26-cv-01331 (D. Md.), and Nicklen v. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., 551 F. Supp. 3d 188 (S.D.N.Y. 2021). (Compl. paras. 52 to 55, 67 to 68, 74 to 81.)
Counts and relief
Count One alleges direct copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. 501 against all defendants. Counts Two and Three allege vicarious and contributory infringement against Sinclair, Inc., Sinclair Broadcast Group, LLC, and Sinclair Television Group, Inc., each pleaded in the alternative under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(d)(2). The prayer seeks a finding of willful infringement; actual damages and profits under 17 U.S.C. 504(b) or, at his election, statutory damages under 17 U.S.C. 504(c), including enhanced damages for willfulness under 504(c)(2), which the complaint puts at up to $150,000; an injunction under 17 U.S.C. 502(a) that includes removing the photograph from the station websites; costs and attorneys' fees under 17 U.S.C. 505; and interest. (Compl. paras. 83 to 103; p. 20.)