Two Texas-based content creators are waging a legal battle over whether one copied the other’s social media “aesthetic.” Attorneys for Alyssa Sheil on Monday asked the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Texas to dismiss several claims brought forth by Sydney Nicole Gifford, who in April accused Sheil of copyright infringement for posting social media content that mimicked her “neutral, beige, and cream aesthetic.” “Sheil has never infringed on any work of Gifford’s, because Sheil’s work is independently developed, does not use anything belonging to Gifford, and is not based on anything posted by Gifford,” the court document states. Gifford has a following of more than 790,000 across Instagram and TikTok.
Sheil has more than 380,000 combined followers on those platforms. Both creators primarily post content sharing their favorite home and fashion finds. Gifford is seeking financial compensation, in an amount to be decided at trial, for damages including lost profits and mental anguish.
In the court document filed Monday, Sheil denied allegations of copyright infringement made in Gifford’s lawsuit. In addition to dismissing some claims now, Sheil is also seeking to have her attorneys’ fees covered. Her attorney told NBC News that they “will pursue dismissal of any remaining claims at a different procedural stage.
” Over the years, creators have frequently accused one another of stealing ideas , often citing videos that appear to have copied.