Detroit Lions Sued by California Photographer Over Jared Goff’s High School Pictures

According to court documents, the photos were originally taken in 2011 and 2012, when Goff was still a multi-sport athlete at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California. Lee, a veteran sports photographer with more than 20 years of experience, captured Goff competing in basketball and baseball. These images were distributed through MaxPreps, a platform where Lee licenses his work and retains copyright protections registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.

The case focuses on how the Lions allegedly used these photos. The franchise is accused of posting the images to both Instagram and X in a manner that went beyond the limited, non-commercial usage rights offered by MaxPreps. Because the Lions’ social media presence supports marketing efforts such as ticket sales, player promotion, and merchandise, Lee’s attorneys argue that the use falls under commercial activity.

“Under MaxPreps’ policies, anyone wishing to use photographs for commercial purposes must obtain a commercial license,” the complaint notes. “The Lions did not pursue such licensing, nor did Lee approve their use of his work. The individual who accessed the images agreed only to non-commercial terms.”

The lawsuit also asserts that the team failed to provide credit to Lee and did not pay licensing fees, resulting in financial harm.

Lee emphasizes that these particular photographs carry unique value since they are among the few professional-quality images of Goff playing sports other than football during his high school years. He argues that this rarity makes the images especially important.