Copyright Law

War Funk Band in Battle with Pepsi Over ‘Friends’ Song

Some members of the original soul-funk band War have sued PepsiCo. for using their 1975 hit song “Why Can’t We Be Friends” in a Pepsi Max commercial without their permission. The band members say Pepsi should have negotiated with them even if the company purchased rights to the song from…

Sep 3, 2010 12:41 PM CDT

Website Settles Infringement Case After Judge Rules for Copyright Troll

A copyright troll’s business methods got a boost Tuesday from a Las Vegas federal judge who ruled the company had standing to sue for copyright infringement. U.S. District Judge Philip Pro ruled on behalf of Righthaven, a Las Vegas lawyer-owned start-up that trolls the Internet for websites that infringe copyrights…

Sep 1, 2010 2:02 PM CDT

Un-Google That

Google’s new pact may have crisscrossed copyright law

Sep 1, 2010 7:40 AM CDT

Warner Brothers Sues Over ‘Pink, Pimpled Prophylactic’

A lawyer for condom maker Magic X doesn’t see why Warner Brothers is suing over its Harry Popper condoms. “Our product has nothing to do with Harry Potter,” the unidentified lawyer tells the Daily Telegraph. The Harry Popper packaging depicts a bespectacled condom and violates Warner Brothers’ copyright, the suit…

Aug 20, 2010 1:56 PM CDT

Bratz Maker MGA Accuses Mattel GC and Quinn Emanuel in Alleged RICO Toy-Spying Conspiracy

Toy maker MGA Entertainment, accused of stealing the idea for the Bratz doll by hiring Mattel workers, has turned the tables on its rival with a counterclaim that alleges a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act conspiracy to glean secret toy information by Mattel lawyers and other top executives. In…

Aug 18, 2010 12:28 PM CDT

Oracle Sues Google, Claims Android Infringes on Patented Java Technology

An operating system for the Google Android, an Internet and social media smartphone designed by Motorola, infringes on patented Java technology, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday by Oracle America. The phone’s software uses Java applications, and infringes on parts of seven different patents, according to the complaint filed…

Aug 13, 2010 4:00 PM CDT

‘Attack Dog’ Group Buys Newspaper Copyrights, Sues 86 Websites

So-called patent trolls have gotten lots of press for buying up and enforcing patents, but there appears to be a new kind of practitioner with a different intellectual property focus—the copyright troll. A Las Vegas start-up called Righthaven has purchased several copyrights to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and sued at…

Aug 4, 2010 11:34 AM CDT

Hobson’s Choice for Ansel Adams Heirs: $200M Might Be Theirs If They Say Newfound Pix are Legit

Faced with a claim that a construction worker paid $45 at a garage sale for lost Ansel Adams negatives that could bring in some $200 million, outraged heirs and administrators of the famed black-and-white nature photographer’s legacy are faced with a Hobson’s choice. They might be able to claim much…

Jul 30, 2010 1:27 AM CDT

$17M for Legal Fees Is Money Well Spent, RIAA Says

The Recording Industry Association of America is defending more than $17 million spent on legal fees in 2008 after bloggers claimed the organization’s aggressive pursuit of damages for illegal downloading was yielding little legal in the way of legal recoveries. Two blogs, Recording Industry vs The People and ITProPortal, had…

Jul 29, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Library of Congress Allows iPhone ‘Jailbreaking,’ Turns Aside Apple’s IP Objection

A final rule issued yesterday by the Library of Congress gives iPhone users the freedom to bypass controls on the devices without fear of running afoul of copyright law. The Library of Congress, which has the power to set exceptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, said such “jailbreaking” is…

Jul 27, 2010 11:40 AM CDT

RIAA Reportedly Spent More than $17M in Legal Fees in 2008

The Recording Industry Association of America has long pursued aggressive litigation seeking damages for illegal downloading, but just how successful has it been? In monetary terms, the effort was a bust, according to the blogs Recording Industry vs The People and ITProPortal, relying on information unearthed by p2pnet.net. The blogs…

Jul 15, 2010 3:53 PM CDT

Record Labels Sue Porn Company, Want Their ‘Sexyback’

Several record labels claim in a lawsuit that an adult entertainment company is violating their copyrights by using their songs in porn videos. News writers are enjoying the spectacle. “Labels Try to Catch Porn Industry with Pants Down,” Reuters declares in its headline. “The struggling music industry may be aroused…

Jul 13, 2010 4:33 PM CDT

Judge Slashes ‘Excessive’ $675K Award in Music Download Case to $67.5K

A Harvard Law School professor representing a graduate student in a high-profile music downloading case has finally won a significant victory. On Friday a federal judge slashed the $675,000 awarded last year by a Boston jury against Charles Nesson’s client, Joel Tenenbaum, to $67,500, saying that it is “unconstitutionally excessive”…

Jul 12, 2010 5:26 PM CDT

Australian Band Ordered to Pay 5% of Royalties for Copying ‘Kookaburra’ in 1980s Hit

An Australian judge has ordered the band Men at Work to pay royalties to a music publisher for copying ”Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” in a hit song from the 1980s. Larrikin Music had sought 60 percent of the royalties from the song “Down Under,” but was awarded…

Jul 6, 2010 11:38 AM CDT

Google Scores Summary Judgment Victory in Landmark $1B YouTube Copyright Case

Google is off the hook, at least for now, in a $1 billion copyright infringement case brought by Viacom over unauthorized uploads by YouTube users of copyrighted material from television shows and movies. In an opinion and order (PDF) today, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton granted a motion the Internet…

Jun 23, 2010 9:25 PM CDT