[JURIST] US District Court judge Jeffrey Miller has thrown out a lawsuit filed in March 2005 [JURIST report] against the Associated Press [media website] and reporter Seth Hettena claiming that the news group violated privacy and copyright laws by publishing photos of Navy SEALs with Iraqi prisoners. All four counts of the lawsuit were dismissed Tuesday when Miller concluded that the claims were meritless, but he did leave open the possibility that the plaintiffs could clarify and refile allegations of copyright infringement. The photos, widely distributed with a December 2004 story by Hettena [text], seem to show the SEALs in Iraq holding weapons up to bloodied detainees. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said he intends to appeal the decision and refile the copyright claims. AP has more.