[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

A couple is at the center of controversy after allegedly using AI to swap their faces onto another couple's wedding photos and circulating the images in mobile wedding invitations.

The incident came to light when a couple announced their upcoming marriage on Threads and shared their wedding invitation. The photos included in the invitation quickly drew attention.

In the images, a man in a gray suit and striped tie sat beside a woman in an off-shoulder wedding dress, red stockings and black shoes, holding a bouquet and leaning against his shoulder.

The invitation carried the message "We're getting married" and noted that the couple would mark their new beginning with family rather than a formal ceremony. It also listed a bank account number for guests to send monetary gifts.

The situation changed after the photos were posted, when a photographer came forward claiming to have taken the original images.

The photographer, identified only by the surname B, commented on the post identifying herself as the person who had taken the photos, shared the originals and demanded the couple stop using them.

"I had already asked that the photos not be used, yet they remain posted on Instagram and Threads without being deleted," B said. "Please stop using them immediately and remove all posted images."

B added that the copyright to the photos belonged to her as the photographer, separate from the portrait rights of the subjects. "I have never consented to or authorized the use or alteration of these photos," she said.

A comparison of B's original and the invitation photo showed the two were virtually identical — same background, same poses, same outfits, same bouquet shape and placement — with only the faces changed.

The incident drew sharp criticism online. "Does swapping the faces make it OK to use someone else's photos?" one user wrote. Others said they were stunned the images had made it into an actual mobile wedding invitation, and questioned why the couple would use another pair's wedding photos at all.

Under South Korean law, altering the faces in a photo does not extinguish the copyright in the original. Photo copyright is distinct from the portrait rights of the subjects and belongs to the photographer by default unless separately transferred or licensed.

Downloading an original photo, altering it with AI and posting it on social media constitutes copyright infringement. A conviction for infringement of economic rights under the Copyright Act can carry up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won ($36,100).

If the couple had no genuine intention to marry, or fabricated facts to produce and distribute a mobile wedding invitation, fraud charges — or attempted fraud — could also apply if prosecutors establish an intent to solicit monetary gifts under false pretenses.

Should the unauthorized use of the photos cause emotional distress to the subjects of the original images, the photographer and subjects could also pursue civil claims for violation of portrait rights and personal rights, in addition to any criminal penalties.


betterj@heraldcorp.com