Infringement Claim: 17 Models Sue Lexington, Ky.’s Platinum Dolls

LEXINGTON, Ky. — As the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders loosen, strip clubs around the world will be grappling on ways to get back into the game. Some say gloves and face masks are on their way in, and lap dances are on their way out. Regardless what barrier is placed in front of fans, those same club goers will be lured to strip clubs by some type of social media marketing, which may or may not be legit. For the past 10 years, a growing trend has been duly noticed — more models with rich backgrounds as social media influencers and who are commercially exploitable with their sexy and glamourous looks are claiming that some clubs are using their pics on Instagram and Facebook to advertise, promote and market the clubs without their permission. In the most recent case involving a club allegedly using photos without permission, 17 models are asking for their photos to be removed from Platinum Dolls’ social media accounts, according to a lawsuit filed at federal court in Lexington, Ky. The models accuse the Lexington club of using their images without compensation and damaging their reputations in the process. Platinum Dolls, aka Lexington Golf & Travel, did not respond by post time for AVN comment about the complaint made by the 17 models, who accused the club of false endorsement, false advertising, violation of publicity rights, violation of privacy by appropriation, negligence and unjust enrichment. Each of the 17 defendants has a “substantial social media following and has appeared in numerous publications, shows, productions, or paid appearances,” according to the suit. The Platinum Dolls claim is just the latest example of litigation involving alleged infringement of model images right-clicked off the Internet. Just last year, nine models were awarded $150,000 by a federal jury after a lengthy lawsuit against two Florida strip clubs which made unauthorized use of their images to promote events. A year earlier, 30 models sued Chicago’s Atlantis Gentlemen’s Club, demanding reparations over photos that allegedly were poached off their social media accounts. That same year, 25 models claimed that the Sunrise Gentlemen’s Club in Paterson, N.J., ripped off their photos to advertise, promote and market the club without their permission.