Sleep Token, the masked collective known for aggressively protecting their intellectual property, now find themselves on the receiving end of a copyright dispute. Photographer Laura Ioana has publicly accused the band of using one of her images on official merchandise without her consent or a licensing agreement.
The controversy centers on a photograph Ioana captured of frontman Vessel during the band’s performance at the 2023 Copenhell Festival in Denmark. According to the photographer, who was covering the event on an editorial assignment, this specific image was later adapted and used on a collectible coin sold by the band in 2024.
Ioana alleges that she never signed a contract releasing the rights to the image. After discovering the merchandise, she attempted to reach out to the band’s camp to resolve the issue but claims she was met with silence from management and hostility from an associate involved with the product.
In a detailed Instagram statement, Ioana expressed her frustration with the situation, highlighting the difficulty independent creators face when dealing with large musical entities.
“This year I found out the photo I took in 2023 at Copenhell Festival (on an editorial assignment 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 successful 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 aggressive 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 amount 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.”
As Ioana noted in her statement, the accusation carries a heavy dose of irony given Sleep Token‘s track record with copyright enforcement. Just months ago, in October, the band’s team—specifically Rico Management and RCA Records—came under fire for allegedly forcing the removal of an Instagram account belonging to Emily-Jane (known as Inkitej), a Sheffield-based tattoo artist. Her account, which featured custom tattoo designs inspired by the band’s imagery, was shut down following copyright claims, sparking a debate about how the band treats its creative fanbase.
