In-N-Out Forces Takedown of Viral Lincoln High School Football Photos by Glenn Silva

A professional photographer was compelled to remove viral images of a high school football team after the fast-food chain In-N-Out cited intellectual property violations. Lincoln High School in Sacramento hired photographer Glenn Silva for a photo shoot at a local In-N-Out, a spot where the team relaxes after training and games. The store manager granted permission to open early before regular hours. The resulting photos—showing the team posing outside and pretending to serve burgers in the drive-thru—garnered over 600,000 views and 26,000 likes on Instagram. In-N-Out then emailed both Silva and the school demanding removal, stating that unauthorized use of its restaurant premises, signage, logos, or other proprietary elements may violate its intellectual property rights. Silva attempted to obtain retroactive approval, noting the manager's consent, but was told corporate-level approval was required and the images had to be taken down. In an interview with SFGate, Silva remarked, “I didn’t grow up with social media,” and expressed that the removal “kind of hurt” because the shoot could have been a career breakthrough. The incident highlights ongoing tensions over permissions and brand control, similar to the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, which in June introduced a fee for photography on its grounds.