Copyright Law

Justices See Outsourcing Implications in Omega Copyright Case

A bargain Omega watch sold by Costco has spurred a Supreme Court case that could have outsourcing implications. Costco was able to sell an Omega watch for $1,299, despite a suggested retail price of $1,995, because it bought the watches overseas where they were sold more cheaply, Bloomberg News reports.…

Nov 9, 2010 4:09 PM CST

Magazine Steals Website Article, Tells Protesting Author She Needs Lesson in Public Domain

A New England cooking magazine has some unusual views about fair use. Writer Monica Gaudio protested when she saw the magazine Cooks Source had discovered her Internet article on the origins of apple pie and reprinted it without her permission, according to the Forbes blog Mixed Media and the Washington…

Nov 5, 2010 12:48 PM CDT

In 3rd Music-Download Trial Replay, Minn. Woman Is Hit with $1.5M Verdict; $62,500 Per Song

As the Bill Murray character experienced in the movie Groundhog Day, those who can’t seem to get it right may have to relive the same day again and again until they do. For a Minnesota woman, that has been happening in real life in a music-downloading lawsuit. In the third…

Nov 4, 2010 4:59 PM CDT

If You Have a Blog and Allow Comments, Register for DCMA Protections, Sites Warn

The emergence of Righthaven, a copyright troll that buys the rights to Las Vegas Review-Journal stories and then sues alleged infringers, has prompted a couple of blogs to remind bloggers of how they can protect themselves from suits like Righthaven’s. The Digital Milennium Copyright Act gives websites immunity from civil…

Nov 1, 2010 6:41 PM CDT

Federal Judge Shuts Down LimeWire, Says P2P Site Aided ‘Massive’ Infringement

Citing “massive” infringement, a federal judge in New York yesterday ordered LimeWire immediately to shut down its peer-to-peer file-sharing website and gave the company 14 days to report back on the measures it has taken to do so, according to Computerworld and PC World. The ruling came in a permanent…

Oct 27, 2010 11:38 PM CDT

Copyright Troll Righthaven Loses First Suit; Copying Was Fair Use, Judge Ruled

Righthaven, a copyright troll that buys the rights to Las Vegas Review-Journal stories and then sues alleged infringers lost its first suit Tuesday when a judge granted a real estate agent’s motion for dismissal. This was apparently the first time a defendant sued by Righthaven has won a dismissal motion…

Oct 21, 2010 4:09 PM CDT

Cease-and-Desist Order Against Website Selling Class Notes Raises IP Questions

Ryan Stevens launched his idea for NoteUtopia.com—a website that allows students to sell and buy notes for classes—while in a business entrepreneurship class at California State University, Sacramento. Stevens graduated and got permits from his alma mater as well as CSU Chico and CSU East Bay to pass out NoteUtopia…

Oct 18, 2010 4:40 PM CDT

Fake Pizza Orders, Prank Calls, Website Attacks, and Now a Law Firm Bomb Threat

A Virginia law firm that has sued thousands of people for alleged illegal downloading was evacuated Thursday after receiving an e-mail bomb threat. Police didn’t identify the law firm, but Leesburg Today says it was Dunlap, Grubb, & Weaver. The Leesburg law firm calls itself the U.S. Copyright Group and…

Oct 4, 2010 12:50 PM CDT

Copyright Troll’s Methods Hit in Counterclaim Citing First Amendment

A copyright troll that purchases rights to stories in the Las Vegas Review-Journal and then sues alleged infringers is facing some pushback in an answer and counterclaim that cites the First Amendment. The copyright troll, Righthaven, has sued more than 140 blogs and websites for alleged copyright infringement. One of…

Oct 4, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Judge Orders Copyright Defendants in Mass Suit to Reveal Identities

Copyright defendants targeted by an enterprising law firm will have to disclose their identities, a federal judge has ruled. The 40 defendants who opposed a subpoena for the information were among 4,577 John Doe defendants identified only by their Internet addresses in a copyright suit filed by the Virginia-based law…

Sep 27, 2010 12:24 PM CDT

Hackers Post Law Firm E-Mail, Exposing Defendant Data, Lawyer’s ‘Lambo’ Tastes

Hackers have obtained e-mails from a U.K. law firm that sues people suspected of illegal file-sharing, according to reports on legal technology blogs. The messages have been posted on the Pirate Bay website and other file-sharing networks, where they have been downloaded and dissected in online reports. E-mails hacked from…

Sep 27, 2010 12:00 PM CDT

$2M Google Grant Puts Struggling Legal Document Access Project in the Black

Yesterday, Public.Resource.Org Inc. had a bottom line of $1,900.40. Money was so tight that the nonprofit’s only full-time staff member, Carl Malamud, called its payroll company this week and put himself on a temporary furlough, he notes in an O’Reilly Radar blog post. Today, however, Malamud, who was profiled as…

Sep 24, 2010 7:10 PM CDT

News Outlets Involved in Copyright Suits Against US Senate Hopefuls

In Missouri, the Fox News network is suing Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan for using its campaign footage in a political advertisement, saying the use of the footage makes it appear as though the network was endorsing her. In Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal is involved in litigation against Republican…

Sep 17, 2010 4:42 PM CDT

ISPs Reportedly Raided in 14-Country File-Sharing Bust Targeting P2P Sites

Following a two-year investigation by Belgian police, authorities have reportedly raided Internet service providers in approximately 14 European countries, in an effort to shut down websites that violate copyright laws by facilitating illegal peer-to-peer downloading of games, software and, in particular, movies. The raids, which focused on “The Scene” in…

Sep 7, 2010 10:22 PM CDT

Adult Content Producers File Mass Tort Against Alleged Downloaders

Another lawyer has waded into the mass tort fray over alleged illegal downloading of copyrighted material. Attorney John Steele of Chicago is representing three adult content producers in separate federal court claims against hundreds of unidentified “John Doe” individuals accused of using BitTorrent to pirate material created by the plaintiffs,…

Sep 7, 2010 5:22 PM CDT