Apple is constantly engaged in its fair share of courtroom battles, but its latest one hits a little closer to home for photographers. Swiss photographer Sabine Liewald has filed a lawsuit against Apple for using her “Eye Closeup” photograph to promote the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s Retina Display.



Liewald claims that when Apple approached her agency (Factory Downtown) to request a high-resolution version of the photo, the company had said the image would only be used for “layout purposes” (AKA “comping“) and not in any advertising campaign.

The photographer was then surprised when Apple did exactly what it said it wouldn’t do. When the company’s keynote address was held last year to introduce the new portable computer, the photograph was featured prominently in the promotional images.

In addition to statutory damages for copyright infringement, Liewald is also demanding “actual damages including defendant’s profits.” Apple is the most valuable company in the world, and its profit figures come with quite a few zeros; the photographer is going for serious money here.

Grab your popcorn, folks — this might be interesting.

(via Patently Apple via Cult of Mac)