Bruno Mars is being sued by a photographer after he shared a childhood photo

Just two weeks after Queen's Brian May was criticised for using images without permission, now it's Bruno Mars who has fallen foul of image copyright on social media.

The popstar, who has a following of 15 million on instagram, shared an image in June as a Way Back Wednesday (not to be confused with a Throwback Thursday). Taken in 1989, it shows him as a four-year old Elvis impersonator. Shared across all his social media platforms, the image received more than 1.2 million likes on instagram alone. 

His use of the image caught the attention of photographer Catherine McGann who captured the image and still owns the copyright. She has stated she was never contacted by Mars or his team before the image appeared on his social media.

As Daily Mail reports, McGann is now seeking royalties for the photo she took. It's been reported she has filed a lawsuit against both Bruno and his record label, Warner Music, for damages and profits earned from the photo use across Mars' social media.

So far there's been no word from Mars, with the Daily Mail contacting his representatives for comment.