A court has rejected the compensation claim of a former hotel waitress for 200,000 yuan (US$24,691) and an apology over the hotel's use of her photos in its promotional material without her permission, according to a Nanjing Morning Post report.

Wang worked in the hotel for eight years. Two photos of Wang were used in brochures and posters for the hotel in 1998 and for the following eight years.

Last August Wang quit her job and the hotel stopped using her photos.

The court ruled that Wang had acknowledged the use of the photos because she had not protested against the hotel's actions at any point during the eight years.

(China Daly April 14, 2006)