Cantopop singer embroiled in legal battle over wedding pictures

Malaysia-born singer Rosanne Wong has expressed her disappointment after the High Court rejected her plea for an injunction against a bridal shop in Singapore, reported The Straits Times.

The 32-year-old Singaporean, who is part of cantopop duo 2R, alleged that The Feline Bridal along River Valley Road had breached her privacy and copyright by publishing pictures of her in its gowns.

According to the paper, the salon had lent Wong seven wedding gowns and two suits for her pre-wedding shoot in London. When she returned, she gave its owner Rachel Wang a DVD of the shots.

After Wong's Hong Kong wedding last January, she returned to Singapore to find that The Feline Bridal had "produced a coffee-table book for its customers containing her photographs". The salon also displayed the pictures at its wedding exhibitions in VivoCity and Changi Expo last year.

Wong then applied for an injunction to bar Wang from using her photographs until a full hearing can take place.

The singer sought $10,000 for each of the 30 shots used in the album. Arguing that her image was valuable, she claimed she received $85,000 a year in publicity endorsements.

Her appeals turned out unsuccessful in the district court as well as the High Court, which said the case had more to do with money than privacy.

The court pointed out that Wong seemed to have given Wang the go-ahead when she passed her photos over, and that she took over a year to sue the salon.

"The photographs were taken for (Wong) in public and similar shots could have been taken by bystanders and posted on social media," the judge added on Friday, reported ST.

Wang, who "felt hurt" when the legal battle started, said that the ruling "is such a relief".

According to the same paper, Wong's lawyer said the disappointed singer "intends to vigorously pursue the main suit".