Is this Katy Perry bikini photo worth millions?

By Eriq Gardner

EXCLUSIVE: Marvix Photo Inc., a celebrity photograph agency, has filed a lawsuit against Fanpop, the operator of a network of online fan clubs, for posting 21 copyrighted photos of Katy Perry on vacation in the Bahamas.

Marvix does business with various newspapers, television programs and magazines like US Weekly and People. The agency is claiming willful infringement in its lawsuit filed on Monday in federal court in California. It wants maximum statutory damages to the tune of $150,000 per infringement.

Added up, Marvix says it is entitled to a buxomly sum of $3.15 million from Fanpop for the alleged illicit reproduction of various Katy Perry photos, including the one seen here on the right.

This makes us wonder whether the biggest threat to paparazzi is not new laws teasing jail time for those photogs who recklessly chase chase down Hollywood glitterati, but rather the commercial harm of a copyright-disrespecting Internet. Hell, given the choice between strong copyright protection laws that protect their creative endeavors or weak copyright laws that might erode the value of paparazzi-stalking, which side would celebrities favor?