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Copyright

Greg Young And Zazzle’s Reckless Four-Year Copyright Battle Gets Costly

Greg Young Publishing and Zazzle resumed the parties’ battle over willful copyright infringement this past Thursday, July 9 in California federal court. This copyright battle goes back to June 23, 2016, when Greg Young, a publisher of visual arts brought legal action against Zazzle, a website allowing its users to upload images of artwork to […]

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Copyright

Bright House Earns Big Copyright Win Internet Service Providers

Defendant Bright House Networks LLC has been granted its motion to dismiss music rights holder UMG Recordings, Inc., et al., (Plaintiffs) vicarious infringement claims because Plaintiffs failed to sufficiently allege a direct financial benefit. Bright House Networks LLC is one of the “largest internet service providers (“ISPs”) in the country.” UMG Recordings, Inc. et al […]

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Copyright Trademarks

Hello I Am Elliot: The Startup’s IP Nightmare

On July 2, in New York’s Southern District, global e-commerce startup (“Hello I Am Elliot”) brought an action into Court for trademark and copyright infringement against Derek J. Sine and Vander Group, another e-commerce company. Sine was Vice President of Vander Group, and together the parties were business affiliates of Hello I Am Elliot, licensed […]

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Copyright

States Given Carte Blanche On Copyright Infringement, For Now

Are states completely immune from federal copyright infringement actions brought by individuals? That question was just answered by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Allen, et al. v. Cooper, Governor of North Carolina, et al. Frederick Allen recorded videos and captured photographs of a shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina. He registered those works […]

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Copyright Entertainment

Lizzo Says The Truth Will Hurt People Who Claim Co-Ownership Of Her Song

When you are threatened with litigation, whether it be in the realm of intellectual property or otherwise, you don’t need to sit around waiting and wondering if/when an action will be filed against you. Instead, there is a type of action called a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment that allows you to go on offense, essentially […]

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Copyright

House Of Representatives Gives Green Light To Copyright Small Claims Option

On October 22, 2019, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (the CASE Act), was approved by a 410-6 vote in the House of Representatives. The intention of the Act  is to establish a small claims court for content creators to more easily take legal action against alleged infringers.

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Copyright

Chuck D Seeks To Bring The Noise To Michael Closter In Copyright Case

Carlton Ridenhour, better known as the rapper Chuck D., who founded hip-hop group Public Enemy, has filed a Complaint for declaratory relief regarding the ownership of copyrights, as well as causes of action for fraud and conversion against Michael Closter and Closter’s fully owned Reach Global, Inc. He claims that the defendants used false copyright […]

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Copyright

What Is Fair Use For Parody Works Is A Central Issue In Logan Paul Copyright Case

Internet personality Logan Paul, who has millions of subscribers on his YouTube channel, has been sued for copyright infringement. The Complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges that his composition “No Handlebars” willfully infringes on an original composition by Flobots titled, “Handlebars.” The original was written and recorded in […]

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Copyright

You Need A Copyright Registration Before Filing A Lawsuit, And Supreme Court Explains What That Means

What do you need in place prior to bringing an action for copyright infringement? That specific question was decided by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, et al.

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Copyright

Costs In A Copyright Case Can Be Collected, But They Are Limited By Statute

Copyright infringement lawsuits must be brought in federal court. These cases are often filed by lawyers who not only think their clients can score a sizable judgment, but also have the opposition cover legal fees and costs. However, a new United States Supreme Court decision places a limit on what a prevailing party can actually […]