MSNBC Sued Over Penelope Cruz Pregnancy Photos

EXCLUSIVE: MSNBC is the latest media outlet to be targeted for alleging stealing paparazzi photos.

Mavrix Photo, a celebrity photo agency, filed a lawsuit on Friday claiming that the MSNBC website has published copyrighted photographs without authorization of actress Penelope Cruz strolling on the beach. The importance of those photos is said to be that they revealed Cruz was pregnant amid speculation (but no confirmation) about her status.

The photos were allegedly reproduced and prominently displayed at a sub-directory link on MSNBC. The complaint indicates that the link in question is located here, in a story entitled "Rep confirms Penelope Cruz is pregnant." But the most prominent photo on the page in question now shows Cruz on the set of her upcoming movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. 

In recent weeks, paparazzi shops have become increasingly litigious.

Marvix Photo itself recently sued Fanpop, the operator of a network of online fan clubs, for posting 21 photographs of singer Katy Perry on vacation in a bikini. The X17 agency filed a lawsuit against Hollywood.com over photos of Reese Witherspoon with ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, and Media2Air filed a since-settled lawsuit against Fox News for broadcasting images of Brad Pitt on a motorcycle.