Axl Rose is knockin' on Google's door about taking down "fat Axl" photos
Axl Rose: one of the world's most recognizable musicians, and also, one of its sweatiest.
Back in 2010, a slightly heavier and proudly moist Axl Rose was photographed while on tour. Out of those controversial photos, the inarguably beautiful "fax Axl" meme was born. Now, the artist has demanded Google to take them down and issued multiple DMCA takedown requests.
Axl is arguing that the photos, taken by Canadian photographer Boris Minkevich and originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press, legally belong to him. Rose claims that the photographer was supposed to sign a release form upon entering the concert, Minkevich can't remember if he signed one.
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The photographer has further alleged that photos were taken off Winnipeg Free Press' website without his consent.
Rose has not stated a reason for taking down these photos, but celebrities in his position are known for asking sites to take unflattering photos down. Beyoncé had a similar request of Buzzfeed in 2013 when photos emerged of her looking "too fierce" (as if there was such a thing).
DMCA takedown requests started with the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which criminalized Internet privacy. Axl issued his requests to GoogleUser Content on May 31st, but as of now, the photos remain accessible. It is unclear whether Google will comply with his requests.
Welcome to the (copyright) jungle, Axl.
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Heather was the Web Trends reporter at Mashable NYC. Prior to joining Mashable, Heather wrote regularly for UPROXX and GOOD Magazine, was published in The Daily Dot and VICE, and had her work featured in Entertainment Weekly, Jezebel, Mic, and Gawker. She loves small terrible dogs and responsible driving. Follow her on Twitter @wear_a_helmet.
