Photographer Laura Loana V has accused Sleep Token of using one of her photos without permission for merchandise.
In a statement shared on Instagram on December 18th, Loana claimed that a photo she took of the band during their 2023 Copenhell Festival performance was reused for a limited-edition Sleep Token “Ritual Coin.” The item was sold during the band’s 2024 show at Festhalle in Frankfurt, Germany, and remains available via Sleep Token’s UK webstore for £50.00 (about $67 USD) at the time of writing.
The post quickly gained traction online, prompting a response from the band’s management, Rico Management. Which has not been made public as of yet.
Fellow photographer Daniel Lønberg also weighed in, stating that a similar situation occurred with his own Copenhell photos. In a video posted earlier this year, Lønberg said a production company sourced one of his images from Tumblr and reused it for merchandise without proper clearance, though he noted that his case was ultimately resolved under the argument that the image was used as “inspiration” rather than direct reproduction.
Loana’s post also referenced Sleep Token’s recent controversy involving tattoo artist Emily-Jayne (InkITEJ), whose Instagram account was removed after Rico Management issued a copyright strike over Sleep Token-inspired tattoo designs. Following backlash from fans and accusations of overreach toward independent artists, the copyright claim was later reversed.
The latest allegation has reignited criticism toward Sleep Token’s management, with multiple fan accounts claiming Rico Management has issued takedown notices against fan-created content in recent months.
Loana shared the following in her post:
*edit. Management finally got in contact so let’s see what solution they will have to this
This year I found out the photo I took in 2023 at @copenhell festival (on an editorial assignement for a magazine) was used for merch in 2024, without my permission. I have not signed any contract granting anyone the licensing rights to these photos.
I know a lot of you loved these photos and I am very grateful for the support, but now I need some help sharing this so I can get to management. 🖤 I have sent emails myself and sent a lot of dms on socials as well but I haven’t been succesful in establishing a communication line with the band directly.
I have only been in contact with one person who was involved with the coin and I have been called agressive for saying the settlement they offered was unfair and that it’s an unacceptable situation, so hoping to get to the band management directly.
As a small creator it is a bit disheartening when you do something with passion and it gets stolen for profit and dismissed like this. Also, on top of that, it seems to not be an isolated case.
Also, considering the amounts of copyright issues this band had with small creators (fanart, tattoo artists etc) it is probably worth creating some awareness on the irony of all of this.
Please share and help out 🫶