Madonna Pays Up To Settle Copyright Lawsuit

MAY 24--On the eve of Madonna's launch of her "shocking" new tour, the singer has quietly settled a federal lawsuit that accused her of ripping off the work of an acclaimed photographer. Details of the financial settlement are confidential and Madonna acknowledged no wrongdoing in her liberal appropriation of the images of the late French photographer Guy Bourdin. Last September, Bourdin's son Samuel filed a federal copyright lawsuit against Madonna, claiming that her video for the song "Hollywood" was a blatant visual theft job of his father's racy images. "It's one thing to draw inspiration; it's quite another to simply plagiarize the heart and soul of my father's work," Bourdin said at the time. Included in Bourdin's federal complaint were side-by-side comparisons of his father's work with images with stills from the "Hollywood" video. Bourdin's lawyer, John Koegel, said the parties reached a "very, very successful settlement," adding that terms of the deal did not allow him to discuss exact dollar amounts. Below you'll find the stipulation and order of dismissal signed earlier this month by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan. (2 pages)