LimeWire Settles Infringement Claims for $105M; Recording Companies Initially Wanted $75T

The online file-sharing company LimeWire and its founder Mark Gorton have reached a $105 million settlement with major recording companies in the middle of a federal trial to determine damages for infringement. At one time the recording companies had sought $75 trillion in damages, but Judge Kimba Wood had rejected…

May 13, 2011 12:45 PM CDT

Famed NY Deli Sues re Coronary-Causing Cuisine, Says Ariz Upstart Doesn’t Control High-Cal Schtick

After receiving a cease-and-desist letter from an Arizona eatery that specializes in food that has a “taste worth dying for,” the owners of a famous New York deli decided that the Heart Attack Grill had a lot of chutzpah to complain about their Triple Bypass Sandwich. They have now filed…

May 11, 2011 12:51 AM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Ex-Gov. Crist’s PI TV Ad; Brewing Instead of Suing; Blogging on an iPad

Governor-Turned-P.I. Lawyer’s TV Ad Charlie Crist, who ended his term as Florida’s governor in January, has since joined Florida personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan. At New York Personal Injury Law Blog, Eric Turkewitz notes a TV ad featuring Crist (that has already had more than 35,000 hits on YouTube)…

May 6, 2011 1:30 PM CDT

‘Beverly Hillbillies’ Actress Files Suit Against Mattel Over ‘Elly May Barbie’

Actress Donna Douglas, who played buxom, none-too-bright Elly May Clampett on the 1960s television hit The Beverly Hillbillies, has filed a federal lawsuit against Mattel Inc., over the toymaker’s new “Elly May Barbie” doll. Although she never gave permission, the packaging for the doll uses a photo of her in…

May 5, 2011 10:35 PM CDT

Conflicted Out of a Number of Matters, 4 Miller & Chevalier ITC Lawyers Form a New Law Firm

Four Miller & Chevalier lawyers who often worked on International Trade Commission intellectual property disputes couldn’t take as many as they were offered because of conflicts of interest. So they have formed a new law firm in Washington, D.C., the Blog of Legal Times reports. One associate from their former…

May 5, 2011 9:29 PM CDT

Do You Ever Notice Copyright / Trademark Infringement? Does It Bother You?

You’re missing out if you haven’t visited Regretsy—a blog that for the last year or two has found humor in products sold, and how said products are sold, on Etsy.com, a Web store that features (allegedly) handmade and vintage goods. Among Regretsy’s 30-some categories is Copyright Infringements, which points to…

May 4, 2011 4:00 PM CDT

Suit Says Facebook Violates NY Law When Minors ‘Like’ Products Without Parents’ OK

A federal lawsuit filed today in Brooklyn, N.Y., contends Facebook Inc. is violating state advertising law by allowing minors to “like” products on the social networking site without getting parental permission. The action seeks damages under a state civil rights law that bans using an individual’s likeness for advertising purposes…

May 2, 2011 10:45 PM CDT

A Trove of Historic Jazz Recordings has Found a Home in Harlem, But You Can’t Hear Them

May 1, 2011 9:40 AM CDT

Mike Tyson’s Tattoo Artist Sues Warner Bros., Says Studio Pirated Copy on Actor’s Face in New Movie

The artist who created an unusual tattoo on the left side of prizefighter Mike Tyson’s face has sued Warner Bros., contending that the studio pirated its work by putting the same tattoo on the face of an actor in its new movie The Hangover 2. S. Victor Whitmill says in…

Apr 29, 2011 11:44 PM CDT

Proposal to Make It a Crime to Buy a Fake Designer Bag in New York City Sparks Criticism

Chinatown is known for its cheap knockoffs of pricey designer handbags. But a New York City councilwoman whose district includes the neighborhood wants that to change. So Margaret Chin is planning to introduce a bill soon that would make it a crime, punishable by a $1,000 fine, to purchase a…

Apr 27, 2011 6:47 PM CDT

Mattel Loses Latest Bratz Doll Trial, Owes MGA $88M, Possibly Trebled

A verdict has been reached by a federal jury in a copyright infringement case filed by Barbie manufacturer Mattel Inc. over MGA Entertainment’s popular Bratz dolls. In a major reversal of fortune for Mattel, which won a $100 million award in an earlier trial of the same case and had…

Apr 21, 2011 6:38 PM CDT

Florida Man Seeks Copyright Compensation for ‘Da-da-da-da-da-da! Charge!’

A Florida man says in a lawsuit that he’s not getting proper compensation for his original composition used by pro sports teams across the nation. The seven-syllable song: “Da-da-da-da-da-da! Charge!” Bobby Kent of Pompano Beach says he wrote the ditty when he was music director for the San Diego Chargers…

Apr 20, 2011 1:48 PM CDT

Threat Level: What’s Lower Than a Copyright Troll? A Sham Copyright Troll Licensed to Litigate

No fan of so-called copyright or patent trolls that litigate over purchased intellectual property rights, a law blog has discovered that it is possible, in its moral scheme of things, to sink even lower. A “copyright litigation factory,” known as Righthaven, doesn’t even own the copyrighted newspaper articles at issue…

Apr 19, 2011 10:11 PM CDT

Law Firm Could Face Big Bill After Sending 1000s of Letters Threatening to Bring File-Sharing Suits

Solicitor Andrew Crossley of ACS:Law apparently saw a potential moneymaking opportunity when he sent out letters to some 10,000 individuals alleging that their Internet Protocol addresses had been linked to illegal file-sharing sites and threatening legal action if they didn’t hand over about $800 each in damages. But that plan…

Apr 18, 2011 5:01 PM CDT

Huffington Post Bloggers Sue, Seeking Payment for Writing

Huffington Post bloggers filed a federal class action against the website, its founder Arianna Huffington and its parent company, AOL, today, over their unpaid status. According to the Washington Post, the Southern District of New York filing alleges that the defendants engaged in unjust enrichment and deceptive business practices. The…

Apr 12, 2011 5:17 PM CDT