Lily Allen derided The New York Times today in her blog, citing the fact that they licensed 6 photos of Allen in her home to tabloid OK! Magazine.
Allen, who usually has contracts in place to prevent such transactions, was “mortified” and “in tears,” as it appears to the general public that OK! conducted an exclusive interview and photos.
According to Allen, the NYT sent the following explanatory email, which she calls “patronizing” and “gross”:
“I am sorry to say that we have no record or recollection of your client
or her representatives ever requesting any restriction on our
exploitation of the photographs. Indeed, it is not our general policy
to accede to such restrictions, so it is certainly not something we
would have agreed to without a written agreement confirming such
arrangement.
“As the copyright owner of thousands of photographs, a significant part
of our business, like most news organizations, is the syndication of
photos to third parties. This is very standard in the news business and
I’m sorry that it comes as a surprise to your client. Under the
circumstances, we are unable to provide you with the assurances you have
requested.
“I do hope, however, that our correspondence sheds some light on this
issue for your client’s future arrangements.”
In other news, Allen eats wiener schnitzel.