Copyright Law

Prenda Law principal pleads guilty to federal charges in porn copyright case

A defendant in the Prenda Law case, which involved alleged shakedowns of people accused of illegally downloading pornography, pleaded guilty Monday to federal conspiracy charges of money laundering, mail fraud and wire fraud.

Mar 7, 2017 10:45 AM CST

Fastcase refiles suit against Casemaker over right to publish Georgia regulations

Fastcase has filed a revised federal lawsuit against its competitor Casemaker over the right to publish Georgia’s administrative rules and regulations after a federal court tossed the earlier suit on jurisdictional grounds. The new suit (PDF) adds details on why the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000, part of Fastcase’s bid…

Feb 7, 2017 9:42 AM CST

Fastcase suit booted from federal court because Casemaker lacks copyright on Georgia regulations

An Atlanta federal court dismissed a lawsuit Fastcase brought against its competitor Casemaker, arguing that Casemaker’s parent company, Lawriter, has no copyright on the Georgia state regulations at issue. Lawriter has a contract with the Georgia Secretary of State to publish the Georgia Administrative Rules and Regulations, Law360 (sub. req)…

Jan 27, 2017 12:10 PM CST

Paul McCartney suit seeks to regain copyright interest in early songs

Paul McCartney is seeking a declaratory judgment that he is entitled to reclaim copyright interest in his early songs under termination provisions of the Copyright Act. McCartney filed the suit in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, report the New York Times, the Hollywood Reporter and the National Law Journal (sub.…

Jan 20, 2017 7:00 AM CST

New York law does not give copyright protection to older recordings, state top court rules

New York’s top court has ruled that state law does not protect copyright holders of sound recordings made before 1972, the year that federal copyright law began to offer protection. The New York Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday in a case brought by a corporation owned by two original…

Dec 20, 2016 12:09 PM CST

Lawyers who pursued porn downloaders are indicted for alleged ‘extortionate tactics’

Two lawyers sanctioned by a federal judge for “abusive” copyright litigation against porn downloaders have been indicted for allegedly using sham clients to disguise that they owned the companies seeking damages for copyright infringement. The lawyers, John Steele and Paul Hansmeier, were charged an indictment made public on Friday, report…

Dec 19, 2016 9:51 AM CST

SiriusXM agrees to pay up to $99M in copyright class action brought by Turtles members

SiriusXM has agreed to pay up to $99 million to settle three class action suits claiming the satellite radio service infringed musicians’ copyrights for music recorded before 1972, when federal copyright law began to offer protection. The suits claimed the artists were entitled to payments for older music because of…

Dec 2, 2016 7:45 AM CST

Dr. Seuss Enterprises sues over crowdfunded comic, ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go!’

Dr. Seuss Enterprises has filed a trademark and copyright lawsuit over a crowdfunded book that is said to combine elements of Star Trek and Dr. Seuss. The federal suit (PDF), filed last Friday, says webcomics company ComicMix “unabashedly misappropriates” the intellectual property of Dr. Seuss Enterprises with its illustrated book,…

Nov 17, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Lawsuits aim to put iconic folk songs back in the public domain

Lawyer Paul LiCalsi argues that “This Land Is Your Land” (as it’s dubbed since a 1956 copyright) and “We Shall Overcome” deserve to be protected from commercial exploitation.

Nov 1, 2016 3:00 AM CDT

Anatomy of an extensive default judgment

A Pennsylvania federal court case was unusual because of the staggering amount of work the judge put into explaining her reasoning in an otherwise routine default judgment. Also see our cover story: "Who's the pirate?"

Oct 1, 2016 12:30 AM CDT

Who’s the pirate? Lawyers join forces to fight allegedly bogus claims of pay-TV theft

Private lawyers pay armies of freelance investigators to go into establishments and document pay-per-view theft. For a small business, a lawsuit could be a death knell.

Oct 1, 2016 12:20 AM CDT

Prenda Law attorney who had switched to ADA suits is suspended for earlier ‘copyright trolling’ work

A Minnesota lawyer whose practice has recently focused on suing businesses for ADA violations was indefinitely suspended from practicing law for his past legal work targeting people who illegally downloaded pornographic videos. Conduct allegations against Paul Hansmeier include discovery abuse; willfully violating court orders; and lying to the court about…

Sep 16, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Company that owns rights to viral videos is suing for copyright violation

Jukin Media Inc., a business built around viral videos, with partners including the Huffington Post and Verizon Wireless, recently sued the rap-centric website WorldStarHipHop for copyright infringement. WorldStarHipHop, which posts a variety of popular videos, is accused of stealling 300 clips from Jukin Media, including one that featured a mother…

Sep 15, 2016 4:40 PM CDT

Do memes violate copyright law?

Who owns a meme—those pictures, videos and ideas that go viral on the internet?

Sep 1, 2016 4:00 AM CDT

Lawyer who filed ‘multiplicity of suits’ over use of his skyline photo is ordered to pay $22K

An Indiana lawyer who filed copyright infringement suits against hundreds of people for using his photos of the Indianapolis skyline has been ordered to pay $22,000 in attorney fees for suing a wrong defendant. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of Indianapolis ordered lawyer Richard Bell of McCordsville to pay…

Aug 31, 2016 9:26 AM CDT