The complaint
Marco Verch v. MH Sub I, LLC d/b/a Internet Brands, No. 2:26-cv-10560 (C.D. Cal., Western Division), was filed September 16, 2026, ECF No. 1 (8 pages). The docket shows the case is assigned to Judge John F. Walter.
The work
Verch, a photographer based in Cologne, Germany, alleges he owns by written assignment a 2021 photograph titled "Woman with pain in her back and neck," registered on February 19, 2022, as part of group Registration No. VA 2-293-017. The Copyright Office public record lists Marco Verch as claimant of that group registration. He alleges he offers the photograph on CCNull.de under a Creative Commons 2.0 license that requires attribution.
What the complaint alleges
Verch alleges, on information and belief, that MH Sub manages and promotes Facebook accounts for clients, and that it copied the photograph and posted it on two chiropractic clients' Facebook pages without a license and without the attribution the Creative Commons license requires. He alleges he notified MH Sub on March 12 and April 29, 2026, and got no response. Count I pleads copyright infringement. A separate claim pleads removal or alteration of copyright management information under 17 U.S.C. § 1202(b), alleging that MH Sub displayed and distributed the photograph without the attribution, knowing that the copyright management information had been removed or altered.
On the docket
Verch served MH Sub on October 2, 2026. A stipulation filed October 8, 2026 extended MH Sub's time to answer to November 23, 2026.