Rod Stewart sued for using a photo of the back of his head

A photographer has filed a copyright lawsuit claiming Rod Stewart used a version of an image she took that featured on the singer's 1989 greatest hits album as the centerpiece of his comeback tour.

According to a complaint filed Thursday (September 4) in California federal court, the exploitation of the "replicate image, an unmistakable copy" is impermissible without authorization.

The photo was created in 1981 by Bonnie Schiffman, says the lawsuit, and featured the back of Rod Stewart's head and shoulders. Stewart's 'signature bouffant hair style' made it memorable and the choice for Stewart's 'Storyteller' album, released by Warner Bros. Records. The photo was licensed non-exclusively back then. The complaint doesn't go into any detail about the terms.

The lawsuit states that Arnold Stiefel (Stewart's agent) contacted her in 2010 with interest in using the image for a billboard for a campaign titled 'Rod's Back', offering £918 ($1,500), which Schiffman rejected.

Schiffman now claims she has seen a similar image as the 'centerpiece' of his new Las Vegas show. She also identifies photos on additional products that are said to have "misappropriated the most recognizable elements of the Schiffman Image, if not the exact image itself."

Schiffman is seeking injunctive relief and not less than $2.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

Watch Rod Stewart's Royal Albert Hall concert and his official videos for 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?' and 'Hot Legs' below: