Those with Legitimate Content on Megaupload Site Raided by Feds Could Lose It in ‘Data Genocide’

There’s bad news for those who may have stored personal and professional materials via the Megaupload.com website recently raided and shut down by the feds as they pursued a criminal online piracy case. Even if material was stored there in full compliance with copyright law, users of the site may…

Jan 30, 2012 10:05 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Takes on Apple’s iBook Author; Volunteer Job Requiring 5 Years Experience?

Launch’s Legal Fallout A big tech story this week was the Apple’s launch of iBooks Author, a free tool allowing users to create textbooks, which the company says will “reinvent textbooks” by allowing iPad users to access texts that are interactive and constantly updated and available at a relatively low…

Jan 27, 2012 2:30 PM CST

Feds Shut Down Megaupload.com, Say Indicted Site Operators Are Part of Worldwide ‘Mega Conspiracy’

Updated: A day after federal lawmakers blinked in the face of an unusual Internet lobbying campaign by websites unhappy about proposed legislation intended to protect copyright holders, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced a shutdown of a major file-sharing website and the indictment of seven individuals and two companies…

Jan 19, 2012 10:59 PM CST

Supreme Court Upholds Recopyright Law; Breyer and Alito Note ‘Speech Implications’ in Dissent

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a 1994 recopyright law that removed thousands of foreign artistic works from the public domain and gave them copyright protection. The law, passed to help the United States comply with international treaties, does not violate the First Amendment rights of musicians, publishers, orchestra conductors…

Jan 18, 2012 5:17 PM CST

Post-Sentencing Facebook Comments Put NinjaVideo ‘Phara’ On Fast Track to Prison Cell

The woman known as the “Phara” of a now-defunct movie downloading site apparently made two crucial miscalculations when she was sentenced earlier this month in a criminal copyright-infringement case. First, Hana Beshara posted about her 22-month prison term on a Facebook account for NinjaVideo and elsewhere, in a manner that…

Jan 17, 2012 10:40 PM CST

Wikipedia Plans US Blackout to Protest Anti-Piracy Bill

Wikipedia is planning to protest anti-piracy legislation with a 24-hour blackout of its English-language website on Wednesday. The nonprofit that operates the online encyclopedia written by its readers said in a statement that the legislation would harm the free and open Internet, report Bloomberg News, the Wall Street Journal and…

Jan 17, 2012 12:31 PM CST

State Bar of Nevada Probes 3 Lawyers Who Helped Righthaven Pursue Copyright Claims

The State Bar of Nevada is investigating the CEO of Righthaven, a company known for its prolific filing of copyright lawsuits against bloggers who allegedly infringed by reposting newspaper content, as well as two lawyers who worked there. CEO Steven Gibson, an attorney, is a subject of the probe along…

Jan 13, 2012 6:30 PM CST

Hit by Defendant Judgments, Copyright Troll Righthaven Decries ‘Scorched Earth’ Effort to Collect

Once upon a time, not so long ago, those running the company at Righthaven LLC saw a seemingly lucrative litigation opportunity. The Nevada-based entity obtained copyright licenses from several newspapers and filed infringement claims against individuals who allegedly made unauthorized use of protected material posted on the Internet. But in…

Jan 10, 2012 11:00 PM CST

Unhappy Patient Sues When Dentist Seeks to Enforce Contract Banning Bad Reviews

A dental patient unhappy with a bill totaling nearly $4,800 is suing to overturn a contract he signed banning him from criticizing his dentist. Public Citizen filed suit on behalf of Robert Lee, who now lives in Huntingtown, Md., according to Ars Technica’s Law & Disorder blog, the New York…

Dec 1, 2011 2:53 PM CST

Doc Defender: He’s the Fair-Use Guru of Nonfiction Movies

Dec 1, 2011 9:10 AM CST

On Cyber Monday, Feds Seized Domain Names of 150 Websites Accused of Selling Knockoff Goods

The federal government seized the domain names of 150 websites on Cyber Monday in an effort to fight the sale of counterfeit goods. Before the seizure, law enforcement officers bought knockoff products such as sports jerseys and shoes as part of the undercover sting called “In Our Sites,” according to…

Nov 29, 2011 2:27 PM CST

Boxer Floyd Mayweather Sanctioned for Missed Deposition After Video Shows Him Partying

A video of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s antics at a nightclub on the same day he begged off a deposition has led to sanctions against the boxer. In a ruling released on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Joseph Anderson Jr. of South Carolina ordered Mayweather to perform 40 hours of community service…

Nov 9, 2011 3:45 PM CST

Fed’l Judge Tells US Marshals to Seize $64K from Righthaven Law Firm to Satisfy Blogger’s Judgment

A law firm that purchased rights to articles in the Denver Post and Las Vegas Review-Journal, sued bloggers for infringement and then lost a number of suits when standing and fair-use defenses were successfully asserted is now the subject of a federal court debt-collection order. Because Righthaven LLC failed to…

Nov 3, 2011 12:39 AM CDT

Suit Tests Theory that Halloween Costumes Can Be Copyrighted

A lawsuit filed against a website that sells Halloween costumes contends the online marketer is selling attire that violates the Power Rangers copyrights and trademarks. The suit targets Underdog Endeavors, operators of MyPartyShirt.com, according to the Hollywood Reporter’s Hollywood, Esq. column. At issue is whether costumes can violate copyrights if…

Oct 31, 2011 1:18 PM CDT

Suit Claims ‘Hangover II’ Is Based on Actor’s Script About Real-Life Incident

A pro se lawsuit filed by a Bollywood actor claims The Hangover Part II was based on his difficult honeymoon in Asia. Michael Alan Rubin says the script was based on his honeymoon with a Japanese woman who refused to share a room with him after they argued about finances,…

Oct 18, 2011 1:12 PM CDT