Reportedly, Lil Nas X archived nearly every post on his Instagram account that didn't include the color pink, resulting in a significant decrease in his post count to under 200.
Rodney Woodland sued Lil Nas X for copyright infringement, alleging that the rapper stole poses and concepts for promotional photos from him. However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that Woodland's poses are not protected under copyright law.
Woodland's photos on Instagram received minimal likes, while Lil Nas X's posts garnered hundreds of thousands to millions of likes, indicating a lack of evidence linking Lil Nas X's access to Woodland's works.
The court found that Woodland did not sufficiently prove that Lil Nas X viewed his photos on Instagram or that the photos were substantially similar, leading to the dismissal of the copyright infringement case.
The court also dismissed Woodland's claim that Lil Nas X's "Industry Baby" artwork copied his series of Black men in chains, stating that the idea of a Black man in chains is not a protected concept.