‘Nevermind’ cover stays, ‘Nirvana baby’ fails in legal fight

In a ruling that’s reignited debate over art, nudity and consent, Spencer Elden, the four-month-old infant immortalised on Nirvana’s legendary 1991 album Nevermind, has lost his high-profile lawsuit claiming the iconic cover amounted to “child pornography.” The now-33-year-old Elden, who was photographed swimming naked underwater toward a dollar bill on a fishing hook for the album’s cover, sued Nirvana’s surviving members, the late Kurt Cobain’s estate, and photographer Kirk Weddle in 2021. He argued the image constituted “commercial sexual exploitation” that has haunted him his entire life. But in a decisive blow to his case, US District Judge Fernando Olguin ruled this week that the photograph—despite featuring nudity—“does not come close” to meeting the legal definition of child pornography. “The...