Blogger Defeats Photographer's Copyright Claim-Sokolskyfilm vs. Messiah

# Summary A federal court dismissed a photographer's copyright infringement claim against a blogger who used the "Parker Train Photo" to illustrate a 2009 fashion advice post, ruling the use was fair use because it was transformative, served a different market than the photographer's fine art licensing business, and generated no commercial benefit. The case highlights the court's apparent reluctance to pursue low-stakes copyright claims between photographers and bloggers, with the opinion notably omitting any statute of limitations discussion despite the photo being published at least 14 years prior to the lawsuit.