Copyright Law

Hasbro Sues Scrabulous Creators, Asks Facebook for Takedown

One of the most popular features on Facebook could soon be gone, if the social networking site’s operators comply with a takedown request from a U.S. toymaker. The Scrabulous game that users play online infringes on its own Scrabble game, Hasbro says in a lawsuit filed in federal court in…

Jul 25, 2008 7:43 PM CDT

Online Video Clipping Service is Sued, Suspends Service

An Internet company that served as a platform for individuals interested in searching television and radio broadcasts, creating video clips, embedding them on websites and sharing them with others has closed down that portion of its services, after being sued by two major media organizations. Although Redlasso is shutting down…

Jul 25, 2008 5:38 PM CDT

Fake News Article Results in Real Lawsuit

Admittedly not thinking about the consequences, a computing services manager for the University of Texas reportedly says he was the practical jokester who posted a fake Oklahoman article online under the byline of a real sportswriter. It falsely claimed that two quarterbacks at the University of Oklahoma had been arrested…

Jul 17, 2008 5:09 PM CDT

Google Ordered to Turn Over User Names of YouTube Viewers

A federal judge in New York has ordered Google to turn over to Viacom records of customers’ user names and IP addresses, along with records of videos they watched on YouTube. U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton of Manhattan ruled in a lawsuit filed by Viacom, which seeks to prove that…

Jul 3, 2008 2:46 PM CDT

Lawyer Bans Opponent from Hotel in Hard-Fought IP Case

Concerned that sensitive documents might be delivered to the wrong legal counsel, a corporate client in a hard-fought federal case reportedly contracted with the hotel at which its own attorney was staying not to allow lawyers or staff from the opposing side to stay there, too. Then, when heavy-hitting Los…

Jun 9, 2008 8:46 PM CDT

Adult Mag’s Case Against Credit Card Companies Declined by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear a lawsuit that contends credit card companies aid copyright infringement by providing services to websites that use pirated materials. The suit was filed by Perfect 10, an adult online magazine, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). The publication sued Visa Inc.…

Jun 2, 2008 4:32 PM CDT

Fan May Face IP Claim Over Dr. Who Knitting Patterns

A 26-year-old British fan of the BBC’s classic Doctor Who television show is facing a potential intellectual property claim over the knitting patterns she invented and distributed over the Internet for free, so fellow fans could create their own homemade versions of the show’s characters. Technically, it seems that the…

May 14, 2008 5:14 PM CDT

Imagine: Yoko Ono in 2 Lawsuits Over John Lennon Rights

In two separate lawsuits, the widow of John Lennon is seeking to protect her late husband’s memory from commercial exploitation. Yoko Ono reportedly wants to force the removal of an excerpt from Lennon’s song “Imagine” from a documentary about Darwinian evolution and regain possession of a 1970 home video that…

Apr 24, 2008 11:19 PM CDT

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter is My World, Not Fan’s

Does an encyclopedia of Harry Potter lore take too much and do too little, simply rearranging the furniture of J.K. Rowling’s famous seven-book series of children’s novels? Or is the Harry Potter Lexicon composed by a fan of the books protected by the fair use doctrine? That is the question…

Apr 14, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

Einstein’s Notes Sued for Publishing Prof’s Practice Questions, Lecture Notes

A lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court contends Einstein’s Notes committed copyright violations by publishing lecture notes and practice questions from a University of Florida professor. The suit (PDF) contends professor Michael Moulton took notes during his own lectures on wildlife issues in the new millennium, obtained a copyright…

Apr 7, 2008 1:04 PM CDT

Free Legal Advice Offered for Accused Music Pirates

Students in San Francisco’s Bay Area have an ally if the Recording Industry Association of America comes knocking and accuses them of pirating music. The college students can turn to the University of San Francisco’s legal clinic—part of the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Project—that aims to match tech-savvy law…

Apr 1, 2008 9:04 PM CDT

Idol Production Company Tells ‘Worst’ Site to Cease and Desist

A website that encourages viewers to vote for the worst contestant on American Idol has agreed to remove the Idol logo after receiving three cease-and-desist letters from the show’s production company. A lawyer for the site, Vote for the Worst, says most of the content is protected under fair-use laws,…

Mar 17, 2008 3:00 PM CDT

Judge Refuses Default Judgment in File-Sharing Suit, Cites Lack of Evidence

Legal observers say a judge’s refusal to grant a default judgment in a suit alleging illegal file-sharing is a setback for the music industry. U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton of Connecticut said in Feb. 13 ruling that a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by several recording companies appeared to lack…

Feb 27, 2008 7:43 PM CST

Internet Ban Plan Would Bar Illegal Downloaders, Under ‘3 Strikes’ Rule

A proposal to ban illegal music and film downloaders from using the Internet that has been under discussion for months by Hollywood entertainment industry officials and Internet service providers may be moving closer to reality. Proposed legislation to implement the enforcement system will be unveiled in the United Kingdom next…

Feb 12, 2008 7:42 PM CST

EU Countries Can Keep File Sharer Data Private in Civil Cases

The European Union’s top court ruled today that EU countries can refuse to disclose names of Internet file sharers in civil matters. This is a blow to copyright holders fighting digital piracy, reports Reuters. The European Court of Justice ruling comes in a dispute between a Spanish music rights holders…

Jan 29, 2008 9:15 PM CST