3 Count: No Groove

Jonathan BaileyJuly 25, 2011

2 minutes read

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: Music Publishers File Copyright Suit Against Grooveshark

First off today, a group of songwriters and producers have filed suit Grooveshark, saying that the music streaming service, which allows users to upload tracks for others to listen to, is violating copyright law. The lawsuit comes as Grooveshark continues to wrangle with Universal Music and not too long after they settled a similar suit with EMI. Meanwhile, other services, including Spotify and Turntable.fm, have inked deals with the record labels and are operating free, licensed streaming services that compete with Grooveshark.

2: David LaChapelle Wins Pre-Trial Ruling Against Rihanna

Next up today, David LaChapelle has won a round in his lawsuit against Rihanna and her label in the judge refusing to dismiss the case and let it go to trial. LaChapelle sued the singer in February claiming that her S&M video infringed upon his popular photographs, to which it bore a resemblance. The judge dismissed several of LaChapelle’s claims saying they were duplicates of his copyright claim but allowed the copyright claims to move forward and also threw out Rihanna’s fair use defense saying that it was “unavailing”. A pre-trial conference is scheduled for August 10.

3: Spanish Piracy Law Draws U.S. Investments: Minister

Finally today, Spain’s Culture Minister has said that, thanks in part to a new anti-piracy law that will take effect next months, many U.S. and other foreign companies are looking to invest in Spain and set up legal alternatives. According to the minister, many organizations were planning on withdrawing from Spain, which has a piracy rate around 80%, because the investment was not worthwhile. However, if they new anti-piracy law proves effective, they are preparing to move in and create new services within the country.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.