Stueve Siegel Hanson LLP has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Hank Young, against the Kansas City Chiefs for unauthorized use of artwork in Arrowhead Stadium. Additional defendants include Time Warner, Inc., Populous, Inc., Workshop Design, L.L.C., Hy-Vee, Inc. and Sprint, Inc.

Mr. Young is a respected and nationally recognized artist specializing in sports photography. He has a storied 40-year history producing photographs of and about the Kansas City Chiefs football organization.

Mr. Young began taking photographs as an independent photographer for the Kansas City Chiefs' Public Relations Department in 1972. He retained the right to permit or refuse the use of any photographs for non-editorial purposes. The Chiefs' agreed to and understood that Mr. Young was the author of these photographs and retained the right to control their use - an arrangement that was honored for more than forty years, paying him additional fees when, for example, they wanted to hang one of his photographs in an Arrowhead suite or use a photograph on a banner outside the stadium or hang a photograph in the concourse.

Prior to unveiling the renovated stadium in 2010, the Chiefs had attempted to coerce Mr. Young into giving up the rights to his forty-plus years of Chiefs-related photographs as a condition of continuing as a game day photographer. Mr. Young was given a deadline of July 23 to accept such a demand. Not coincidentally, July 23 was the day the renovated stadium opened to the press. Upon seeing the unauthorized use of his photographs, Mr. Young asked the Chiefs' to pay him for the unauthorized use of his photographs. In response, the Chiefs told him that he could not continue as a game day photographer and pursue any request for payment.

Time Warner, Populous, Workshop Design, Hy-Vee and Sprint are also culpable for the unauthorized use of Mr. Young's work. Populous and Workplace Design were responsible for designing the stadium. Time Warner, Hy-Vee and Sprint own sponsorships and their logos and trade names appear in connection with Mr. Young's artwork.

Mr. Young seeks damages, including punitive damages, for copyright infringement, fraud, negligent misrepresentations, and breach of contract.

Click HERE to view the Complaint.

Click HERE to view the Kansas City Star article.

Click HERE to view The Pitch Weekly article.

Click HERE to view Arrowhead Pride article.

Click HERE to download Adobe Reader.

Reproduced below are sample comparisons of Mr. Young's photographs side-by-side with a picture of their unauthorized use in Arrowhead Stadium.