The complaint
Rockefeller Photos, LLC v. ALBA Restaurant Mansfield Inc, No. 1:26-cv-14297 (D. Mass.), was filed September 21, 2026 (9 pages). The defendant is a Massachusetts corporation that the complaint says operates a fine dining restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts. A docket notice assigns the case to Magistrate Judge Jennifer C. Boal. (Compl. paras. 1 to 2, 16; ECF No. 4.)
The work
The complaint alleges that a photographer employed by Prepared Food Photos, Inc., formerly Adlife Marketing & Communications Co., Inc., created a photograph of cooked beef prime rib on a plate titled BeefPrimeRibRoast012_ADL, 04-08-1999, that Prepared Food Photos registered and owns it, and that a December 12, 2024 agency agreement gave Rockefeller the exclusive right to license it and pursue infringement claims. Exhibit A identifies the registration number. (Compl. paras. 7 to 13.)
What it alleges
The complaint alleges that on April 26, 2018, after the registration, the defendant displayed the photograph on its website, social media, or print media to advertise its business, without a license, and, upon information and belief, that it found the photograph on the internet and copied it. It alleges the use was discovered in February 2024 and the defendant was notified in writing, and that the infringement was willful, pointing in part to copyright notices on the defendant's websites. (Compl. paras. 18 to 23, 32.)
The count and relief
Count I pleads copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. 501. The prayer asks for declarations of infringement and willfulness, actual damages and profits or, at Rockefeller's election, statutory damages, costs and fees, interest, and a permanent injunction. (Compl. Count I; Prayer.)
On the docket
The docket shows a summons issued and an affidavit of service. (Docket, ECF Nos. 5 to 6.)