Pictures of celebrities are all over the Internet, but many people will be surprised to know that inserting a person must obtain a license to use a photo. This is mainly for publications, but going without any type of permission can cause trouble down the road.
License celebrity photos have been around for a long time, but that was mostly due to them only showing up in print. Once they started to be posted everywhere online, people began to think that they were free to use at all times.
No one is really going to get in trouble for using a celebrity photo on their own personal website. The only time a person is really going to be pursued for not getting a license is if they are working for a publication and making money off the photo. Since there picture is part of the brand, it makes sense that they care.