Iowa Insurer Sues Google Over Copyrighted Photo

A Des Moines company is suing Google and demanding it remove a copyrighted photo from a private blog that mocks corporate headshots.

An attorney for ARAG North America and Ann Dieleman, a senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the insurance company, filed the copyright lawsuit on Dec. 31 in federal court.

ARAG says Google has denied its requests to remove the photo, which was posted on SexyExecs.blogspot.com in 2009. The author of the private blog is not known. But it’s hosted through Blogger, a company owned by Google.

Messages left for Google were not immediately returned Wednesday.

The Des Moines Register reports experts say the case highlights a growing clash with bloggers who post images online without permission.