We noted in today's Pick of the Orchard that Czech supermodel Veronica Varekova is upset that Maxim purchased a photo of her from a British GQ photo set and is putting it on its June cover. Veronica considers the cover shot -- featuring the model in stockings, high heels and nude from the waist up -- "super, super vulgar."

Of course, the real issue here -- as it was with Jessica Alba's protest of her recent Playboy cover -- is not about vulgarity. It's about branding.

Veronica and Jessica were fine with the photos published in other contexts. The Playboy photo, in fact, was simply a publicity shot from Jessica's silly bikini-fest, Into the Blue. The issue is that the women (along with their agents and publicists, we're guessing) consider the use of their photos in Maxim and Playboy, respectively, a devaluation of their brands.

If that's their concern, they do have an option: They can own rights to their photography. Otherwise, it's often out of their hands. (We're not experts on model releases, we should add. We know they can contain very specific language about the conditions under which a photo can be used. But often they provide limited protection.)

If you're curious, the British GQ site features various pics of Veronica, presumably from the shoot in question.

Technorati tags: Veronica Varekova, Public Relations, Jessica Alba