Why Snoop Dogg Faces Lawsuit Over Instagram Post

Fans and lovers of '90s and early 2000s hip hop will recognize Snoop Dogg — known in real life as Calvin Broadus — as a significant figure in the genre. Despite not being as active in music as he once was, the rapper remains highly respected. At 50 years old, Snoop has had several legal issues over the years, including a conviction for cocaine possession in 1990, according to Biography. There was also the time in 1996 when he was tried for murder but ultimately acquitted.

During an Instagram Live interview with fellow rapper Fatman Scoop in 2020, Snoop shared how his experience with the murder trial impacted his music. "On my second album, 'Tha Doggfather,' when I beat my murder case, I redirected my pen to write life because I felt like I had wrote death all up until that point," he said.

Who sued Snoop Dogg over an Instagram post and why?

Even though Snoop Dogg is no longer at the peak of his musical career, one thing that continues to be consistent is his involvement in legal matters. This time, the rapper, actor, and businessman is facing a lawsuit from a company called Freedom News TV (FNTV). The company claims that Snoop infringed on its copyright by posting an exact copy of one of its videos on his Instagram account without permission, according to Radar Online. FNTV states, "Without permission or authorization from Plaintiff, Defendant volitionally selected, copied, stored and/or displayed Plaintiff's copyright protected video."

In the video in question, a man is seen humorously attempting to climb the walls of the JP Chase Morgan Bank in New York, as reported by Complex. Snoop Dogg, who has around 65 million followers on his Instagram account, posted the clip with the caption: "Dummy of the week."

Radar Online covered the story in October after obtaining court documents from FNTV, which filed the lawsuit in a federal court in Los Angeles. The media company argues that the video, which Snoop posted on April 3, 2021, has caused them significant financial loss. Their business model relies on licensing rights to photos and clips they produce. By sharing the video, which went viral and received over 4.5 million views, FNTV claims that Snoop has made the video worthless.

Interestingly, the company admitted in the court documents that the clip was only registered for copyright on April 9, 2021, just six days after it appeared on Snoop's Instagram page.

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